Rimbau V, Camins A, Pubill D, Sureda F X, Romay C, González R, Jiménez A, Escubedo E, Camarasa J, Pallàs M
Unitat de Farmacologia i Farmacognòsia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Nucli Universitari de Pedralbes, Barcelona, Spain.
Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2001 Aug;364(2):96-104. doi: 10.1007/s002100100437.
We tested the potential cytoprotective role of C-phycocyanin in rat cerebellar granule cell cultures. Cell death was induced by potassium and serum (K/S) withdrawal. Cell viability was studied using the neutral red assay and laser scanning cytometry with propidium iodide as fluorochrome. C-phycocyanin (1-3 mg/ml) showed a neuroprotective effect against 24 h of K/S deprivation in cerebellar granule cells. After 4 h K/S deprivation this compound (3 mg/ml) inhibited formation of reactive oxygen species, measured as 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein fluorescence, showing its scavenger capability. Pre-treatment with C-phycocyanin reduced thymidine incorporation into DNA below control values and reduced dramatically apoptotic bodies as visualized by propidium iodide, indicating inhibition of apoptosis induced by K/S deprivation. Flow cytometry studies, using propidium iodide in TritonX100 permeabilized cells, indicated that 24 h K/S deprivation acts as a proliferative signal for cerebellar granule cells, which show an increase in S-phase percentage and cells progressed into the apoptotic pathway. C-phycocyanin protected cerebellar granule cells from the apoptosis induced by deprivation. These results suggest that C-phycocyanin prevents apoptosis in cerebellar granule cells probably through the antioxidant activity. It is proposed that K/S deprivation-induced apoptosis could be due, in part, to an alteration in the cell cycle mediated by an oxidative stress mechanism.
