Lithium prevents acrolein-induced neurotoxicity in HT22 mouse hippocampal cells

Acrolein is a highly electrophilic alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehyde to which humans are exposed in many situations and has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. Lithium is demonstrated to have neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects in brain ischemia, trauma, neurodegenerative disorders, and psychiatric disorders. Previously we have found that acrolein induced neuronal death in HT22 mouse hippocampal cells. In this study, the effects of lithium on the acrolein-induced neurotoxicity in HT22 cells as well as its mechanism(s) were investigated. We found that lithium protected HT22 cells against acrolein-induced damage by the attenuation of reactive oxygen species and the enhancement of the glutathione level. Lithium also attenuated the mitochondrial dysfunction caused by acrolein. Furthermore, lithium significantly increased the level of phospho-glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β), the non-activated GSK-3β. Taken together, our findings suggest that lithium is a protective agent for acrolein-related neurotoxicity.