| Iron may play an important role in Parkinson's disease (PD) since it could induce oxidative stress-dependent neurodegeneration. In our studies, we determined the protective effect of the iron chelator, phytic acid (IP6) in a cell culture model of PD. Immortalized rat mesencephalic/dopaminergic cells (N27 cells) were grown in normal and iron-excess conditions and neurotoxicity was induced with 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) or 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Cytotoxicity was measured by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT assay) and trypan blue staining. Apoptotic cell death was measured with caspase-3 activity, DNA fragmentation, and Hoechst nuclear staining. Our results demonstrate a significant neuroprotective effect of IP6 against MPP+ or 6-OHDA induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis both in normal and iron-excess conditions. Although future animal and human studies are needed to confirm the results, our findings suggest that IP6 may offer a promising safer therapeutic approach, along with traditional drug therapy, to slow down the progression of PD. |
