Journal of neuroscience research
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Oxidative stress in the brain has been increasingly associated with the development of numerous human neurological diseases. Microglia, activated upon neuronal injury or inflammatory stimulation, are known to release superoxide anion (*O(2) (-)), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), and nitric oxide (NO), thereby further contributing to oxidative neurotoxicity. The reaction of NO and *O(2) (-), forming the toxic peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)), has been proposed to play a pathogenic role in neuronal injury. ⋯ Furthermore, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation and the cleavage of caspase-3 were observed. Conversely, inhibition of p38 MAPK and caspase-3 significantly reduced apoptotic death induced by H(2)O(2) plus SNAP. These data suggest that H(2)O(2) and NO act synergistically to induce neuronal death through apoptosis in which activation of p38 MAPK and caspase-3 is involved.