Abstract
6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is a neurotoxin that destroy dopaminergic neurons and widely used to establish animal models of Parkinson's disease. Prostaglandins (PGs) are involved in various cellular processes, including the damage and repair of neuronal cells. However, the function of PGF2α in neuronal cells remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of PGF2α against 6-OHDA-mediated toxicity in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and elucidated its underlying molecular mechanism. When the cells were treated with 6-OHDA (50 μM) for 6 h, the expression levels of PGF2α synthetic enzymes; cyclooxygenase-2 and aldo-keto reductase 1C3 as PGF2α synthase were enhanced in an incubation-time-dependent manner. In addition, the production of PGF2α was increased in 6-OHDA-treated cells. Fluprostenol, a PGF2α receptor (FP) agonist (500 nM), suppressed 6-OHDA-induced cell death by decreasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increasing the expression of the anti-oxidant genes. These fluprostenol-mediated effects were inhibited by co-treatment with AL8810, an FP receptor antagonist (1 μM) or transfection with FP siRNA (20 nM). Moreover, 6-OHDA-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family, was inhibited by co-incubation with AL8810. Furthermore, fluprostenol itself enhanced ERK phosphorylation and further elevated the 6-OHDA-induced phosphorylation of ERK. In addition, 6-OHDA induced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), activating anti-oxidant gene expression, was repressed by co-culturing with AL8810. These results indicate that PGF2α suppressed 6-OHDA-induced neuronal cell death by enhancing anti-oxidant gene expression via the FP receptor-ERK-Nrf2 signaling. Thus, FP receptor is a potential target for inhibition of ROS-mediated neuronal cell death.