Protection of Taurine Against Neurotoxicity Induced by Arsenic in Primary Cortical Neurons.

Our group previously reported that taurine has a protective capacity on the hippocampus and cerebellum of arsenic (As)-exposed mouse. In the present study, we explore whether taurine demonstrates protection against As toxicity in primary cortical neurons. Primary cortical neurons were exposed to various concentrations of arsenite and cell viability was assessed to confirm the toxicity of As on cortical neurons. The protection of taurine was examined after primary cortical neurons were treating with arsenite and taurine for 24 h. The cell viability was examined by MTT and caspase-3 activity assay. The expression of Bax and Bcl-2 was determined by western blot. The results showed that As exposure reduced cell viability and enhanced the activity of caspase-3, which were markedly inhibited by taurine treatment. The expression of Bax and Bcl-2 were disturbed by As exposure, which were reversed by taurine. These results indicated that taurine expose protective effect on As-exposed primary cortical neurons and its mechanism maybe involved the regulation of Bax/Bcl-2.