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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Primary Culture of Mouse Dopaminergic Neurons
Published on: September 8, 2014
Caffeic acid phenethyl ester blocks free radical generation and 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurotoxicity
Zhizhong Ma1, Xing Wei, Christine Fontanilla
1Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 975 West Walnut Street, Rm 457, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Abstract:
Neurotoxicity induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is believed to be due, in part, to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Antioxidants protect neurons against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity by inhibiting free radical generation. In this study, we investigated whether or not caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) could protect neurons against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity in cultured rat rostral mesencephalic neurons (RMN) and cerebellar granule neurons (CGN). We now report that exposure of RMN and CGN to 6-OHDA (40 microM for RMN and 70 microM for CGN) resulted in significant increases in free radical production and death of both neuron types. Pretreatment with CAPE (10 microM) for 2 h prevented both 6-OHDA-induced free radical generation and neurotoxicity. Furthermore, CAPE also attenuated H(2)O(2)-induced neurotoxicity. Our results strongly suggest that CAPE blocks 6-OHDA-induced neuronal death possibly by inhibiting 6-OHDA-induced free radical generation and blocking free radical-induced neurotoxicity in neurons. Both the antioxidative and neuroprotective effects of CAPE may be beneficial in the therapy for Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
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