摘要:
Alzheimer's disease is most common neurodegenerative disorder and is characterized by increased production of soluble amyloid‐β oligomers, the main toxic species predominantly formed from aggregation of monomeric amyloid‐β (Aβ). Increased production of Aβ invokes a cascade of oxidative damages to neurons and eventually leads to neuronal death. This study was aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of a β‐sheet breaker α/β‐hybrid peptide (BSBHp) and the underlying mechanisms against Aβ40‐induced neurotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells. Cells were pretreated with the peptide Aβ40 to induce neurotoxicity. Assays for cell viability, cell membrane damage, cellular apoptosis, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), intracellular free Ca2+, and key apoptotic protein levels were performed in vitro. Our results showed that pretreatment with BSBHp significantly attenuates Aβ40‐induced toxicity by retaining cell viability, suppressing generation of ROS, Ca2+ levels, and effectively protects neuronal apoptosis by suppressing pro‐apoptotic protein Bax and up‐regulating antiapoptotic protein Bcl‐2. These results suggest that α/β‐hybrid peptide has neuroprotective effects against Aβ40‐induced oxidative stress, which might be a potential therapeutic agent for treating or preventing neurodegenerative diseases.