Neuroprotective effect of topiramate against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced cell death in Parkinson's disease cell mode

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive neuronal dysfunction. Growing evidence has shown that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Correspondingly, the current study evaluated the protective effect of topiramate in 6-hydroxydopamine induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in PC12 cells as an in vitro model for PD.

PC12 cells, a cellular model of PD, were treated with topiramate for 24 h. Then they were treated with 75 μM 6-hydroxydopamine for 24 h. Cell viability was examined by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured using 2, 7 dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) assay. The levels of lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant power (TAP) were also measured.

Remarkably, topiramate at concentration of 8 μM increased survival of PC12 cells exposed to 6-hydroxydopamine. Cell viability of PC12 cells on 6-hydroxydopamine was decreased compared to controls, which was reversed by topiramate. Topiramate also reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and cellular lipid peroxidation. In addition, topiramate significantly increased total antioxidant power in 6-OHDA-treated cells.

Findings of this study showed that the topiramate protects PC12 cells against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity through its potent antioxidant activity