Enantioselective induction of oxidative stress by acetofenate in rat PC12 cells

In a non-chiral environment, the enantiomers of a racemate possessed the identical physico-chemical properties, but in the biological systems they possessed different activities. Considering that the involvement of oxidative damage has been implicated in the toxicities of various pesticides, this study investigated the possibility of enantioselective oxidative stress and cytotoxicity induction by acetofenate (AF) which contains an asymmetrical center on PC12 cells. The results of the cytotoxicity assay indicated that S-(+)-AF presented more toxic effects than R-(-)-AF and (+)-AF. It also demonstrated that S-(+)-AF possessed the strongest effects in induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level. These results suggested that AF and its enantiomers could induce enantioselective cytotoxicity in PC12 cells mediated by oxidative stress. Therefore, the assessment in environmental safety and new chiral pesticide development should consider enantioselectivity.