Selenium compounds prevent amyloid β-peptide neurotoxicity in rat primary hippocampal neurons.

Neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) include amyloid plaque formation, neurofibrillary tangles, neuronal and synaptic loss. This study aims to identify the neuroprotective effects of the selenium compounds on the neurotoxicity of amyloid β(1-42) in primary cultures of murine hippocampal neurons. Samples were subjected to immunocytochemistry and western blotting techniques to determine the role of treatments on neuronal viability and synaptic protein SNAP-25. We observed a reduced cell viability amyloid β-peptide (1-42)-induced. When cells were co-treated with amyloid β-peptide (1-42) and selenium compounds, we verified a strong increase in relative cell viability and in the level of synaptic marker synaptosomal-associated protein SNAP-25 induced by selenium compounds.