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Assay Development for High Content Quantification of Sod1 Mutant Protein Aggregate Formation in Living Cells
Published on: October 4, 2017
Antidepressants upregulate messenger RNA levels of the neuroprotective enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD1)
X M Li1, J Chlan-Fourney, A V Juorio
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. lixinm@sask.usask.ca
Objective:
To investigate the effect of amitriptyline, bupropion, doxepin or venlafaxine on the gene expression of the neuroprotective enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD1) in a catecholamine cell in vitro model.
Design:
Molecular study of a cultured cell line.
Interventions:
Rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were incubated in 1 and 10 mumol/L of various antidepressant medications for 24 or 48 hours.
Outcome Measures:
Northern blot analysis.
Results:
Amitriptyline up-regulated SOD1 messenger RNA in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The greatest up-regulation was following incubation with 10 mumol/L amitriptyline for 48 hours. The addition of bupropion, doxepin or venlafaxine to PC12 cell cultures also up-regulated SOD1 mRNA.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that some antidepressants have the ability to positively regulate neuroprotective genes.
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