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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Preparation of Rat Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cultures and Quantification of Oligodendrogenesis Using Dual-infrared Fluorescence Scanning
Published on: February 17, 2016
Oxidized phosphatidylcholine formation and action in oligodendrocytes
Jingdong Qin1, Fernando D Testai, Sylvia Dawson
1Departments of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Abstract:
Reactive oxygen species play a major role in neurodegeneration. Increasing concentrations of peroxide induce neural cell death through activation of pro-apoptotic pathways. We now report that hydrogen peroxide generated sn-2 oxidized phosphatidylcholine (OxPC) in neonatal rat oligodendrocytes and that synthetic OxPC [1-palmitoyl-2-(5'-oxo)valeryl-sn-glycero-3 phosphorylcholine, POVPC] also induced apoptosis in neonatal rat oligodendrocytes. POVPC activated caspases 3 and 8, and neutral sphingomyelinase (NSMase) but not acid sphingomyelinase. Downstream pro-apoptotic pathways activated by POVPC treatment included the Jun N-terminal kinase proapoptotic cascade and the degradation of phospho-Akt. Activation of NSMase occurred within 1 h, was blocked by inhibitors of caspase 8, increased mainly C18 and C24:1 ceramides, and appeared to be concentrated in detergent-resistant microdomains (Rafts). We concluded that OxPC initially activated NSMase and converted sphingomyelin into ceramide to mediate a series of downstream pro-apoptotic events in oligodendrocytes.
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