Abstract
Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus resulting in cognitive dysfunction and synaptic plasticity impairment. Hyperglycemia plays a critical role in the development and progression of DN, through a number of mechanisms including increased oxidative stress. Cannabinoids are a diverse family of compounds which can act as antioxidative agents and exhibit neuroprotective properties. We investigated the effect of the synthetic cannabinoid HU-210 on brain function of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. These animals exhibit hyperglycemia, increased cerebral oxidative stress and impaired brain function. HU-210, through a receptor independent pathway, alleviates the oxidative damage and cognitive impairment without affecting glycemic control. To study the neuroprotective mechanism(s) involved, we cultured PC12 cells under hyperglycemic conditions. Hyperglycemia enhanced oxidative stress and cellular injuries were all counteracted by HU-210-in a dose dependent manner. These results suggest cannabinoids might have a therapeutic role in the management of the neurological complications of diabetes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 174-181 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Neurobiology of Disease |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The research was supported by the Binational Science Foundation (BSF) and “Women’s Health” initiative of the Hadassah Medical Organization. We would like to thank Dr Lia Vorobiav and the students: Mayer Saidian, Rafael Mevorah and Reut Pienik for their technical assistance.
