title: Protective effect of erythropoietin against ketamine-induced apoptosis in cultured rat cortical neurons: involvement of PI3K/Akt and GSK-3 beta pathway.
abstract: Erythropoietin (EPO) prevents neuronal cell death through the activation of cell survival signals and the inhibition of apoptotic signals in models of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we investigated the neuroprotective effect of EPO in ketamine-induced neurotoxicity in primary cortical neurons. EPO in combination with ketamine greatly increased the cell viability and reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells. To elucidate a possible mechanism by which EPO exerts its neuroprotective effect, we investigated the phosphoinositide3-kinase pathway using LY294002. The neuroprotection of EPO was prevented by LY294002. Immunoblotting revealed that EPO induced the phosphorylation/activation of Akt and phosphorylation/inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta). Moreover, the caspase-3-like activity was increased by addition of ketamine, and decreased by administration of ketamine with EPO. Decreased caspase-3-like activity by administration of ketamine with EPO was restored by LY294002. Our results suggest that PI3K/Akt and GSK-3beta pathway are involved in the neuroprotective effect of EPO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. shang_you@126.com
authors.forename: You
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shanglong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Xiaojing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Wenqiong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology; D002867:Chromones / Q000494:pharmacology; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D006801:Humans; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009025:Morpholines / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D002867:Chromones; D009025:Morpholines; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D004921:Erythropoietin; C085911:2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one; D007649:Ketamine; D011494:Protein Kinases; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; C000605506:GSK3B protein, human; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605508:Gsk3b protein, rat; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; D053148:Caspase 3