Neuroprotective effects of boron nitride nanoparticles in the experimental Parkinson's disease model against MPP+ induced apoptosis

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most aggressive neurodegenerative diseases and characterized by the loss of dopamine-sensitive neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain. There is no any definitive treatment to completely cure PD and existing treatments can only ease the symptoms of the disease. Boron nitride nanoparticles have been extensively studied in nano-biological studies and researches showed that it can be a promising candidate for PD treatment with its biologically active unique properties. In the present study, it was aimed to investigate ameliorative effects of hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles (hBNs) against toxicity of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺) in experimental PD model. Experimental PD model was constituted by application of MPP⁺ to differentiated pluripotent human embryonal carcinoma cell (Ntera-2, NT-2) culture in wide range of concentrations (0.62 to 2 mM). Neuroprotective activity of hBNs against MPP⁺ toxicity was determined by cell viability assays including MTT and LDH release. Oxidative alterations by hBNs application in PD cell culture model were investigated using total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidant status (TOS) tests. The impacts of hBNs and MPP⁺ on nuclear integrity were analyzed by Hoechst 33258 fluorescent staining method. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme activities were determined by a colorimetric assay towards to hBNs treatment. Cell death mechanisms caused by hBNs and MPP+ exposure was investigated by flow cytometry analysis. Experimental results showed that application of hBNs increased cell viability in PD model against MPP⁺ application. TAS and TOS analysis were determined that antioxidant capacity elevated after hBNs applications while oxidant levels were reduced. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis executed that MPP⁺ induced apoptosis was prevented significantly (p < 0.05) after application with hBNs. In a conclusion, the obtained results indicated that hBNs have a huge potential against MPP⁺ toxicity and can be used in PD treatment as novel neuroprotective agent and drug delivery system.