Rat Hippocampal Neurons

Used to Study Apoptosis Induced by Brain Insults
Although our primary human cells are increasingly being used in drug discovery and toxicology assays versus animal cells, we are always pleased to see the success of the latter in sophisticated studies.

This publication references use of our e18 rat hippocampal neurons. These cells continue to be easy to culture, pure and potent. Chiara Porro, Antonia Cianciulli, Teresa Trotta, Dario Domenico Lofrumento, Rosa Calvello and Maria Antonietta Panaro. (2019). Formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine Induces Apoptosis in Murine Neurons: Evidence for NO-Dependent Caspase-9 Activation. Biology 8(1), 4; doi:10.3390/biology8010004.

Highlights
Formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) may be present in the brain in the course of some infectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), although little is known about its role. This investigation was performed to study the effect of fMLP on neuron apoptosis. The results showed that fMLP treatment of primary cultures of neurons was able to induce morphological features of apoptosis in cell cultures, as well as activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, through the upregulation of caspase-9 and caspase-3.

Figure. (A) Western blot analysis was performed on membrane-enriched cell extracts (25 µg lysate) of primary neurons. The blots were probed with formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) antibody (Ab) and detected by chemiluminescence. A ~41 kDa band corresponding to FPR2 was observed as compared to the positive control. Lane 1: Marker; lane 2: Positive control, lane 3: Primary neuron lysate. (B) Immunofluorescence identification of FPR. Double staining shows the expression of the FPR receptor on the cell membrane and neurofilaments. FPR2 expression (green); skeleton protein staining of neuron-specific neurofilament 68 (red); DAPI nuclear staining (blue); cells stained by both neurofilament 68, FPR2 and DAPI (merged). Scale bar: 100 μm. 1): neurofilaments stain; 2) FPR2 expression; 3) DAPI stain; 4) merged.

The present study emphasizing the potential role of infectious agents, such as N-formyl peptides, in neurodegenerative diseases may help to promote the development of new therapies able to modulate the expression of the N-formyl peptide receptors.