-Glutamylcysteine Alleviates Ischemic Stroke-Induced Neuronal Apoptosis by Inhibiting ROS-Mediated Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

Ischemic stroke is a severe and acute neurological disorder with limited therapeutic strategies currently available. Oxidative stress is one of the critical pathological factors in ischemia/reperfusion injury, and high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) may drive neuronal apoptosis. Rescuing neurons in the penumbra is a potential way to recover from ischemic stroke. Endogenous levels of the potent ROS quencher glutathione (GSH) decrease significantly after cerebral ischemia. Here, we aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of -glutamylcysteine (-GC), an immediate precursor of GSH, on neuronal apoptosis and brain injury during ischemic stroke. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) were used to mimic cerebral ischemia in mice, neuronal cell lines, and primary neurons. Our data indicated that exogenous -GC treatment mitigated oxidative stress, as indicated by upregulated GSH and decreased ROS levels. In addition, -GC attenuated ischemia/reperfusion-induced neuronal apoptosis and brain injury in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, transcriptomics approaches and subsequent validation studies revealed that -GC attenuated penumbra neuronal apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) and inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway in OGD/R-treated cells and ischemic brain tissues. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report that -GC attenuates ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis by suppressing ROS-mediated ER stress. -GC may be a promising therapeutic agent for ischemic stroke.