Objective: To establish a nerve cell injury model by incubating PC12 cell line in the presence of Abeta25-35 to study the effect of puerarin on apoptosis of nerve cells.
Methods: PC12 cells were incubated with Abeta25-35 and puerarin. Cell viability was detected by MTT. The cellular morphology was observed with electron microscopy. FITC-labeled Annexin V and propidium iodide were adopted to evaluate the rate of cell apoptosis in different groups by means of flow cytometry.
Results: Following incubation Abeta25-35, the cells were induced to undergo apoptosis. The viability of PC12 cells decreased in a time-dependent manner. Morphological evidences for apoptosis nuclear condensation were observed in PC12 cells. Cells incubated in the presence of Abeta25-35 showed increasing apoptotic rates, but cells treated with puerarin and Abeta25-35 revealed decreasing apoptotic rates, it demonstrated that puerarin had a significant protective action against Abeta25-35 evoked apoptosis.
Conclusion: Puerarin can resist the adverse effects of Abeta25-35 on increasing apoptotic rates, and it has the protective function towards nerve cells.