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COX-2 Regulates the Insulin-Like Growth Factor I–Induced Potentiation of Zn²⁺-Toxicity in Primary Cortical Culture

Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Center and Medical Research Institute, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, 110-783, Korea (J.-Y.I., D.K., K.-W.L., P.-L.H.); Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science Technology, Daejon, 305-701, Korea (D.K., C.O.J.); Department of Anatomy, Inha University School of Medicine, Inchon, 400-712, Korea (J.-B.K., J.-K.L.); Liver Cell Signal Transduction Lab., Bioscience Research Division, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 305-333, Korea (D.S.K., Y.I.L.); Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Kangwon National University School of medicine, Chunchon, 200-701, Korea (K.-S.H.)

The pretreatment of cultured cortical neurons with neurotrophic factors markedly potentiates the cytotoxicity induced by low concentrations of Zn²⁺ or excitotoxins. In the current study, we investigated the mechanism underlying the insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I)-induced Zn²⁺ toxicity potentiation. The pretreatment of primary cortical cultures for more than 12 h with 100 ng/ml of IGF-I increased the cytotoxicity induced by 80 µM Zn²⁺ by more than 2-fold. The IGF-I–enhanced cell death was blocked by the COX-2–specific inhibitors N-[2-(cyclohexyloxyl)-4-nitrophenyl]-methane sulfonamide (NS-398; 10–100 µM) and 1-[(4-methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-3-trifluoro-methyl-5-[(4-fluoro)phenyl]pyrazole (SC58125; 10 µM) and by the antioxidant trolox (30 µM). In addition, it was observed that COX-2 expression was increased 12 to 24 h after IGF-I treatment. Preincubation of cortical cultures with IGF-I increased arachidonic acid (AA)-induced cytotoxicity, and AA increased Zn²⁺ toxicity, which suggested the involvement of COX activity in these cellular responses. Moreover, enhanced COX-2 activity led to a decrease in the cell's reducing power, as indicated by a gradual depletion of intracellular GSH. Cortical neurons pretreated with IGF-I and then Zn²⁺ showed consistently enhanced reactive oxygen species production, which was repressed by NS-398 and SC58125. Cortical neurons treated with Zn²⁺ and then AA displayed the increased ROS production, which was also suppressed by NS-398 and SC58125. These results suggest that COX-2 is an endogenous factor responsible for the IGF-I–induced potentiation of Zn²⁺ toxicity and that enhanced COX-2 activity leads to a decrease in the cell's reducing power and an increase in ROS accumulation in primary cortical cultures.

Address correspondence to: Dr. Pyung-Lim Han, Ewha Institute of Neuroscience, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, 70 Jongno-6-Ga, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, 110-783, Republic of Korea. E-mail: plhan{at}ewha.ac.kr