International journal of molecular medicine
-
Cerebral ischemic injury and treatment are important topics in neurological science. In the present study, an in vitro model of cerebral ischemia was established by subjecting primary cultures of hippocampal neuronal cells to oxygen-glucose deprivation followed by reperfusion (OGD/R), in order to evaluate the possible neuroprotective role of syringic acid (SA). The results of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol‑2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays showed that pre-treatment with SA (0.1, 1, 10, and 20 µM) attenuated OGD/R-induced neuronal injury in a dose-dependent manner, with evidence of increased cell viability and decreased LDH leakage. ⋯ Western blot analysis revealed that OGD/R promoted cell apoptosis with concomitant increases in Bax and caspase-3 expression, and reduced Bcl-2 expression, which was reversed by pre‑treatment with SA in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, these effects were mediated through the JNK and p38 pathways, as pre‑treatment with SA inhibited the OGD/R-induced increase in phosphorylated (p-)JNK and p-p38 expression. Taken together, these results suggested that SA exerted strong neuroprotective effects in hippocampal neuronal cells, which may be attributed to the attenuation of OGD/R-induced cell injury through the JNK and p38 signaling pathways.