Lipoic Acid Protected PC12 Cells from Oxidative Stress-induced Damage by inhibiting the NF-κB- iNOS-NO Signal Pathway

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of lipoic acid(LA) on NF-κB - iNOS-NO signal pathway in oxidative stress-induced PC12 cells. METHODS After PC12 cells were treated with 0.4 mmol·L-1 H2O2 and different concentrations of LA, the cell viability was measured by MTT, the concentration of nitric oxide in intracellular cells was evaluated using laser-scanning confocal microscopy(LSCM) method and the expressions of NF-κB p65, iNOS mRNA were detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS Cell viability were significantly elevated by LA from 27.9% to 65.4%. Compared with H2O2-treated cells, the concentration of nitric oxide was lowed by LA through judging the change of DAF-2 Ft/F0 from 5.34 to 1.80. Meanwhile, the levels of NF-κB p65 and iNOS mRNA were decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION Lipoic acid could protect PC12 cells from oxidative stress-induced damage by inhibiting the NF-κB - iNOS-NO signal pathway.