Elsevier

Brain Research

Volume 738, Issue 1, 28 October 1996, Pages 162-166
Brain Research

Short communication
Selective loss of neurofilament proteins after exposure of differentiated human IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells to oxidative stress

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Abstract

Millimolar concentrations of ascorbate in the presence of iron can cause neuronal cell death. This study shows that the human neuronal cell line IMR-32 is sensitive to ascorbate and that cytotoxicity can be blocked by the antioxidant enzymes Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase and catalase. There was a selective loss of neurofilament proteins after exposure to 5 or 10 mM ascorbate, as assessed by immunostaining and by Western blotting. Loss of actin or tubulin was not seen, suggesting that loss of neurofilaments is a sensitive and selective marker for free radical damage in these cells.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Mr. David Hughes and Ms. Debbie Jones for their assistance with the IMR-32 cell cultures and Mr. Arthur Oakley for his photographic assistance. P.J.S. is supported by the Wellcome Trust as a Senior Fellow in Clinical Science.

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