GK-2 Reduces Death of Cultured Granule Neurons in Cerebellum Induced by the Toxic Effects of Zinc Ions

• Published in: Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine 2020-02, Vol.168 (4), p.474-478
• Main Authors: Stelmashook, E. V., Aleksandrova, O. P., Rogozin, P. D., Genrikhs, E. E., Novikova, S. V., Gudasheva, T. A., Sharonova, I. N., Skrebitsky, V. G., Isaev, N. K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal experimentation; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain; CA1 Region, Hippocampal - cytology; CA1 Region, Hippocampal - drug effects; CA1 Region, Hippocampal - physiology; CA3 Region, Hippocampal - cytology; CA3 Region, Hippocampal - drug effects; CA3 Region, Hippocampal - physiology; Cell Biology; Cerebellum - cytology; Cerebellum - drug effects; Cerebellum - physiology; Chlorides - antagonists & inhibitors; Chlorides - toxicity; Copper - toxicity; Dipeptides - pharmacology; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Glutamate; Internal Medicine; Laboratory Medicine; Long-Term Potentiation - drug effects; Long-Term Potentiation - physiology; Methylene blue; Microtomy; Nerve growth factor; Nervous system diseases; Neurons; Neurons - cytology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - physiology; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Pathology; Primary Cell Culture; Rats; Synapses - drug effects; Synapses - physiology; Synaptic Transmission - drug effects; Synaptic Transmission - physiology; Zinc Compounds - antagonists & inhibitors; Zinc Compounds - toxicity
• ISSN: 0007-4888; 1573-8221
• DOI: 10.1007/s10517-020-04734-8

Peptide mimetic of nerve growth factor GK-2 in a dose of 1-2 mg/liter improves survival of cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons exposed to the cytotoxic effect of zinc ions, but has no protective effect against copper ion cytotoxicity. Experiments on cultured rat hippocampal slices demonstrated that GK-2 did not affect reactivity of pyramidal neurons and long-term potentiation in the hippocampal field CA1 and the probability of glutamate release from presynaptic terminals in the synapses of the CA3-CA1 fields. The results suggest that GK-2 does not affect the functional properties of synaptic transmission under normal conditions, but protects neurons from the toxic effects of zinc, which creates prerequisites for GK-12 use in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.