Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026
Protocol for the Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Mixed Cultures of Neurons and Glia for Neurotoxicity Testing
Published on: June 9, 2017
Puerarin Protects Human Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Cells against Glutamate-Induced Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial
Xue Zhu1, Ke Wang2, Kai Zhang2
1Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, 214063, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. wangke@jsinm.org.
Abstract:
Glutamate, the principal excitatory neurotransmitter, plays a central role in brain metabolism; however, aberrant neurotransmission of glutamate has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the effective agents that target at glutamate-induced cell injury will be useful for prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, the neuroprotective effect of puerarin, an active isoflavone extracted from the Chinese herb Radix puerariae, against glutamate-induced cell injury in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells was evaluated for the first time. The results showed that the pretreatment of puerarin could attenuate glutamate-induced cell injury in a dose-dependent manner. This protective effect was mediated through inhibiting reactive oxygen species generation, attenuating the upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2, preserving mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), preventing cytochrome c release, and reducing caspase activity. These findings may significantly contribute to a better understanding of the neuroprotective effect of puerarin and provide new insights into its application toward neurodegenerative diseases in the future.
