Protective effects of cyclosativene on H2O 2-induced injury in cultured rat primary cerebral cortex cells.

Sesquiterpenes have attracted much interest with respect to their protective effect against oxidative damage that may be the cause of many diseases including several neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Our previous unpublished work suggested that cyclosativene (CSV), a tetracyclic sesquiterpene, has antioxidant and anticarcinogenic features. However, little is known about the effects of CSV on oxidative stress induced neurotoxicity. We used hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) exposure for 6 h to model oxidative stress. Therefore, this experimental design allowed us to explore the neuroprotective potential of CSV in H2O2-induced toxicity in new-born rat cerebral cortex cell cultures for the first time. For this aim, MTT and lactate dehydrogenase release assays were carried out to evaluate cytotoxicity. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidative stress (TOS) parameters were used to evaluate oxidative changes. In addition to determining of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) levels, the single cell gel electrophoresis (or Comet assay) was also performed for measuring the resistance of neuronal DNA to H2O2-induced challenge. Our results showed that survival and TAC levels of the cells decreased, while TOS, 8-OH-dG levels and the mean values of the total scores of cells showing DNA damage (Comet assay) increased in the H2O2 alone treated cultures. But pre-treatment of CSV suppressed the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative stress which were increased by H2O2. On the basis of these observations, it is suggested that CSV as a natural product with an antioxidant capacity in mitigating oxidative injuries in the field of neurodegenerative disorders.