Abstract

Arsenic is an environmental toxicant found naturally in ground water. Epidemiological studies have suggested a correlation between chronic arsenic exposure and potential brain tissue damage in clinical case and animal experiments. Lipoic acid (LA) is a thiol-compound naturally occurring in plants and animals, which is thought to be a strong antioxidant and possess neuroprotective effects. The objective of this study was to determine if the AS 2O 3-induced glial cell toxicity could be prevented by LA. The human malignant glioma cell (U118) was selected as a research model. By using acridine orange staining and flow cytometry analysis, we found that autophagic, but not apoptotic, cell death was significantly induced by AS 2O 3 in U118 cells, and that AS 2O 3-mediated autophagic cell death was nearly completely attenuated by LA. Down-regulation of p53 and Bax proteins and the up-regulation of Bcl-2 and HSP-70 proteins were observed by western blot in AS 2O 3-mediated autophagic cell death. Our results implied that LA completely inhibited U118 cells autophagic cell death induced by AS 2O 3. We suggested that LA may emerge as a useful protective agent against arsenic-induced glial cell toxicity and reversing arsenic-induced damage in human brain.

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