Citicoline protects against lead-induced oxidative injury in neuronal PC12 cells

Lead is a major environmental pollutant, which causes serious adverse effects on biological systems and cells. In this study, we examined the effect of citicoline on lead-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells. PC12 cells were pre-treated with citicoline and then exposed to lead for 48 h. The effect of citicoline on cell survival was examined by MTT assay. In addition, lipid peroxidation (LPO), total thiol groups, total antioxidant power (TAP), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and reduced glutathione (GSH) were evaluated. The levels of Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 were also measured by western blot analysis. Citicoline could significantly increase the cell viability of PC12 cells exposed to lead. Treatment of PC12 cells with lead increased LPO, while citicoline effectively decreased LPO. The total thiol groups, and TAP, CAT, SOD, and GSH were significantly increased in citicoline–treated PC12 cells compared to the lead group. Citicoline pretreatment significantly reduced Bax expression and increased the level of Bcl-2 expression. Citicoline also reduced caspase-3 activation in PC12 cells compared to the lead group. Our findings revealed that citicoline exerts a neuroprotective effect against lead-induced injury in PC12 cells through mitigation of oxidative stress and at least in part, through suppression of mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic pathway.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author