Alpha-Tocopherol at Nanomolar Concentrations Increases
the Viability of PC12 Cells under Oxidative Stress Conditions.
The Effects of Modulation of Signaling Systems

T. V. Sokolova, M. P. Rychkova, I. O. Zakharova, I. V. Voynova, and N. F. Avrova¹

Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia

Received February 18, 2011

Abstract—We found that long-term preincubation of neuronal-like PC12 cells with -tocopherol at micro- as
well as nanomolar concentrations significantly increased cell viability under oxidative stress conditions. We
discovered that the protective effect of -tocopherol increases with an increase in its concentration in the 1–100
nM range, while its effects at concentrations of 100 nM, 1, 10, and 100 M were similar when -tocopherol
was applied to cells 12–18 h prior to H₂O₂. An important role in the protective effect of long-term preincubation
of cells with -tocopherol at various concentrations is probably related to its modulatory influence on the activ-
ities of protein kinase C, extracellular signal-activated protein kinase, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Short-
term preincubation of PC12 cells with this antioxidant at nanomolar concentrations for 0.5 or 1.5 h practically
did not influence cell viability, while the protective effect of -tocopherol at micromolar concentrations was
probably related to its ability to terminate free-radical reactions due to direct interactions with free radicals.

Keywords: -tocopherol, nanomolar concentrations, protective effect, PC12 cells, oxidative stress, signal sys-
tems

DOI: 10.1134/S181971241103007X

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