Protective Effect of Chlorogenic Acid against Aβ-Induced Neurotoxicity

Beta-amyloid (Aβ) is considered as one of the major causes of Alzheimer’s disease. This study examined the neuroprotective effects of chlorogenic acid, a naturally occurring polyphenol which is distributed widely in plants, fruits and vegetables, against Aβ-induced toxicity. Aβ decreased signifi cantly the viability of PC12 cells. This was accompanied by an increase in the intracellular calcium levels and cleaved caspase-3. In addition, Aβ induced an increase in Bax, and a decrease in Bcl-2 compared to the controls. However, a pre-treatment with chlorogenic acid rescued the PC12 cells from Aβ by attenuating the elevated intracellular calcium levels and reducing the levels of the apoptosis related proteins, including caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax. These results suggest that the protective effects of chlorogenic acid are, at least in parts, by attenuating the intracellular calcium infl ux and reducing apoptosis induced by Aβ. KCI Citation Count: 21