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- Title
Dietary flavonoid (-)epicatechin stimulates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent anti-oxidant response element activity and up-regulates glutathione in cortical astrocytes.
- Authors
Bahia, Parmvir K; Rattray, Marcus; Williams, Robert J
- Abstract
Flavonoids are plant-derived polyphenolic compounds with neuroprotective properties. Recent work suggests that, in addition to acting as hydrogen donors, they activate protective signalling pathways. The anti-oxidant response element (ARE) promotes the expression of protective proteins including those required for glutathione synthesis (xCT cystine antiporter, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthase). The use of a luciferase reporter (ARE-luc) assay showed that the dietary flavan-3-ol (-)epicatechin activates this pathway in primary cortical astrocytes but not neurones. We also examined the distribution of NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2), a key transcription factor in ARE-mediated gene expression. We found, using immunocytochemistry, that Nrf2 accumulated in the nuclei of astrocytes following exposure to tert-butylhydroquinone (100 microM) and (-)epicatechin (100 nM). (-)Epicatechin signalling via Nrf2 was inhibited by wortmannin implicating a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent pathway. Finally, (-)epicatechin increased glutathione levels in astrocytes consistent with an up-regulation of ARE-mediated gene expression. Together, this suggests that flavonoids may be cytoprotective by increasing anti-oxidant gene expression.
- Publication
Journal of neurochemistry, 2008, Vol 106, Issue 5, p2194
- ISSN
1471-4159
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1471-4159.2008.05542.x