U0126 protects cells against oxidative stress independent of its function as a MEK inhibitor.

U0126 is a potent and selective inhibitor of MEK1 and MEK2 kinases. It has been widely used as an inhibitor for the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway with over 5000 references on the NCBI PubMed database. In particular, U0126 has been used in a number of studies to show that inhibition of the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway protects neuronal cells against oxidative stress. Here, we report that U0126 can function as an antioxidant that protects PC12 cells against a number of different oxidative-stress inducers. This protective effect of U0126 is independent of its function as a MEK inhibitor, as several other MEK inhibitors failed to show similar protective effects. U0126 reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells. We further demonstrate that U0126 is a direct ROS scavenger in vitro, and the oxidation products of U0126 exhibit fluorescence. Our finding that U0126 is a strong antioxidant signals caution for its future usage as a MEK inhibitor and for interpreting some previous results.