Taurine Alleviate Hexabromocyclododecane-Induced Cytotoxicity in PC12 Cells via Inhibiting Oxidative Stress

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a widely used brominated flame retardant. Its adverse effects on brain had been observed. Taurine, a sulfur amino acid, take part in many brain physiological functions and exhibits protective effects on a variety of detrimental situations. In this paper, we explored the protections of taurine on cytotoxicity induced by HBCD in PC12 cells. PC12 cells were pretreated with taurine (1 mM, 3 mM and 9 mM) for 30 min before 10 μM HBCD treatment for 24 h. Then, the cell survival was assayed by the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and trypan blue dyeing method. The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were evaluated with a fluorescence microplate reader using the non-fluorescent probe 2'7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) and the fluorescent cationic dyestuff Rhodamine 123 (Rh 123), respectively. Further, the activity of many antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and the content of glutathione (GSH) were tested by kits. Our results displayed that taurine significantly decreased the cell death induced by HBCD, prevented ROS production and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, and reversed the decline of SOD, CAT, GPx activity and GSH content induced by HBCD. These results suggested that taurine could alleviate cytotoxicity induced by HBCD in PC12 cells through inhibition of oxidative stress.