Chromaffin cells as a model to evaluate mechanisms of cell death and neuroprotective compounds

Abstract

In this review, we show how chromaffin cells have contributed to evaluate neuroprotective compounds with diverse mechanisms of action. Chromaffin cells are considered paraneurons, as they share many common features with neurons: (i) they synthesize, store, and release neurotransmitters upon stimulation and (ii) they express voltage-dependent calcium, sodium, and potassium channels, in addition to a wide variety of receptors. All these characteristics, together with the fact that primary cultures from bovine adrenal glands or chromaffin cells from the tumor pheochromocytoma cell line PC12 are easy to culture, make them an ideal model to study neurotoxic mechanisms and neuroprotective drugs. In the first part of this review, we will analyze the different cytotoxicity models related to calcium dyshomeostasis and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Along the second part of the review, we describe how different classes of drugs have been evaluated in chromaffin cells to determine their neuroprotective profile in different neurodegenerative-related models.

Emulsified silicone oil is taken up by and induces pro-inflammatory response in primary retinal microglia

“…Differentiated rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells are a widely used cell culture model for neuronal cells [16], especially concerning neurotoxicity and neuroprotection [17]. These cells were directly obtained from the German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ), Braunschweig, Germany.…”

Piceatannol ameliorates behavioural, biochemical and histological aspects in cisplatin‐induced peripheral neuropathy in rats

“…15 Additionally, the neuroprotective effect of PIC has been investigated in several in vitro studies. In PC12 cells, a model of neurodegenerative diseases, 16 PIC showed neuroprotective action against hydrogen peroxide-and peroxynitrite-induced apoptosis 17 ; against apoptosis induced by 4-hydroxynonenal, a lipid peroxidation product elevated in Alzheimer's disease brain 18 ; and against α-synuclein-induced cytotoxicity. 19 Likewise, PIC showed neuroprotective action against β-amyloidinduced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells, 20,21 in rat primary cortex neurons 22 and in rat hippocampal cells.…”

Concurrent Akt, ERK1/2 and AMPK Activation by Obestatin Inhibits Apoptotic Signaling Cascades on Nutrient-Deprived PC12 Cells

“…The capability of obestatin/GPR39 system as a switch between cell survival and death was addressed in PC12 cells, a cell line widely used to study neuroprotective effects of drugs (de los Rios et al 2018 ). We first evaluated the presence of obestatin and GPR39 in PC12 cells by immunocytochemistry.…”