Neuronal protective effect of nosustrophine in cell culture models

Background and objectives

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the progressive degeneration of neurons and pathological activation of glial cells. The present study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of Nosustrophine, a nootropic supplement derived from young porcine (Sus scrofa domesticus) brains on the progression of neurodegeneration.

Methods

Different concentrations of the lyophilized Nosustrophine extract were added into the SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line, hepatocarcinoma heppG2 cell line and rat neuronal and glial cells with or without different treatments. The viability of cells and the response of neurons, astrocytes and microglia to oxidative stress were measured and compared.

Results

The cell viability of SH-SY5Y cells treated with low concentrations of Nosustrophine was notably improved, when compared to control cells. In the HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cell line, Nosustrophine had a moderate, concentration-dependent impact on cell viability, with the most significant effects observed at concentrations greater than 1 mg/mL. However, Nosustrophine did not confer any toxic effects on human cell lines, sustain neuronal survivability rates, or significantly enhance the astroglial cell survival in mouse primary neuronal and glial cells. The protective effect of Nosustrophine on microglia was inversely correlated to the drug concentration in the culture medium. It was found that Nosustrophine was protective against Aβ1-42-induced neurodegeneration in mouse organotypic hippocampal slice cultures.

Conclusions

The present study investigated the effect of Nosustrophine, which is an epigenetic bioproduct derived from the Sus scrofa domesticus brain using non-denaturing biotechnological processes, on the progression of neurodegeneration in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. The present in vitro data indicated that Nosustrophine has therapeutic properties that prevent selective dopaminergic neuronal loss in the central nervous system, and reduce secondary degenerative effects caused by chronic neuroinflammation. Furthermore, Nosustrophine exhibited neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects, when this was administered before or after toxic neuroinduction. The present cell culture data highlights the potential of Nosustrophine as a preventive strategy against neuropathological damage. Nevertheless, further preclinical studies are required to validate these findings.

Full text

https://www.xiahepublishing.com/2572-5505/JERP-2023-00021

The study was recently published in the Journal of Exploratory Research in Pharmacology.

Journal of Exploratory Research in Pharmacology (JERP) publishes original innovative exploratory research articles, state-of-the-art reviews, editorials, short communications that focus on novel findings and the most recent advances in basic and clinical pharmacology, covering topics from drug research, drug development, clinical trials and application.

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