Transforming growth factors-beta protect primary rat hippocampal neuronal cultures from degeneration induced by beta-amyloid peptide.

Treatment of primary rat embryo hippocampal neuronal cultures with 10(-5) M beta-amyloid peptide fragment 25-35 (A beta P) for 24 h resulted in a 60% decrease in cell viability as determined by MTT incorporation. When these cells were treated with 0.1-10 ng/ml of either transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) 1, 2 or 3 for 24 h before exposure to A beta P, there was a 2.9-, 1.9-, and 3.2-fold increase in cell survival, respectively, compared to cells treated with A beta P alone. The viability of cells treated with A beta P and 0.1-10 ng/ml TGF-beta was comparable to that of cells not treated with A beta P. The protective effects were less pronounced at lower TGF-beta concentrations. The protective effects of pretreatment with TGF-beta were less striking in mouse CCL-N-2a and human SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cell lines. When all cells were treated with TGF-beta for 24 h following a 24 h exposure to A beta P, there was a trend toward increased cell viability which was less significant than pretreatment with TGFs-beta. An isoform-specific TGF-beta SELISA showed that primary hippocampal neuronal cultures and the neuroblastoma cell lines secrete all 3 TGF-beta isoforms. Based on our results, we propose that the increased expression of TGF-beta observed in brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease may offer some degree of neuroprotection.