2-BFI enhances the proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells with fluorosis by stabilizing endoplasmic reticulum–mitochondria contact sites and inhibiting activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes

Abstract

2-(2-benzofu-ranyl)-2-imidazoline (2-BFI) is a drug that has attracted much attention in recent years. It has a therapeutic effect on brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral infarction. However, whether 2-BFI affects the proliferation of cells exposed to fluoride is not known. We investigated the proliferation and apoptosis of SH-SY5Y cells exposed to fluoride, and 2-BFI was used to protect SH-SY5Y cells against the effects of fluoride. We found that 2-BFI could enhance the proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells upon fluorosis by maintaining the stability of endoplasmic reticulum–mitochondria contact sites and inhibiting activation of NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes. This study may provide a new method for protecting against the inhibition of cell proliferation induced by fluoride.