Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Ziprasidone Protects against Rotenone-Induced Neurotoxicity: An In Vitro Study

Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental illness characterized by delusions, hallucinations, negative symptoms, and cognitive dysfunction. Recently, several studies have demonstrated that the pathogenesis of schizophrenia involves mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. However, the effect of antipsychotic drugs for these events has been poorly investigated. In the present study, we evaluated the neuroprotective effect of an atypical antipsychotic drug, ziprasidone (ZPD), on rotenone (ROT)-induced neurotoxicity involving oxidative stress in PC12 cells. Our data showed that ZPD treatment promoted the translocation of NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) from cytoplasm to nucleus and activated the expression of its target genes NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO-1), catalase (CAT), and heme oxygenase (HO-1). Additionally, ZPD prevented ROT-induced cell death and intracellular reactive oxygen species production. Interestingly, the use of serotonin 5-HT_1A receptor antagonist 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-4 (4-(2-phtalimido) butyl) piperazine (NAN-190) completely blocked the protective effect of ZPD against ROT-induced cell death. Our results demonstrate the neuroprotective effect of ZPD against ROT-induced neurotoxicity and suggest that ZPD may be a potential candidate for the prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in schizophrenia.