CCN3/NOV inhibition attenuates oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of mouse neural stem/progenitor cells by blocking the activation of p38 MAPK: An in vitro study

Abstract

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) hold immense promise in clinical applications, yet the harsh conditions resulting from central nervous system (CNS) injuries, particularly oxidative stress, lead to the demise of both native and transplanted NSPCs. Cellular communication network factor 3 (CCN3) exhibits a protective effect against oxidative stress in various cell types. This study investigates the impact of CCN3 on NSPCs apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. To establish models of primary cultured mouse NSPCs under oxidative stress, we exposed them to 50 μM H2O2 for 4 h. Remarkably, pre-exposing CCN3 exacerbated the H2O2-induced decline in cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. However, employing gene-targeted siRNA to inhibit CCN3 protected NSPCs against H2O2-induced cell death. Conversely, CCN3 replenishment reversed this protective effect, as evidenced by TUNEL staining, the ratio of Cleaved-caspase-3 to Pro-caspase-3, and Bcl-2/Bax. Further investigations revealed that CCN3 pretreatment increased the phosphorylation level of p38 MAPK, while silencing CCN3 diminished p38 MAPK activation. Ultimately, the impact of changes in CCN3 protein expression on H2O2-induced apoptosis was nullified using anisomycin (a p38 activator) and SB 203580 (a p38 inhibitor). Our findings suggest that CCN3 inhibition prevents H2O2-induced cell death in cultured mouse NSPCs via the p38 pathway. These discoveries may contribute to the development of strategies aimed at enhancing the survival of both endogenous and transplanted NSPCs following CNS oxidative stress insults.