1. Academic Validation
  2. Dl-3-n-butylphthalide promotes neurite outgrowth of primary cortical neurons by Sonic Hedgehog signaling via upregulating Gap43

Dl-3-n-butylphthalide promotes neurite outgrowth of primary cortical neurons by Sonic Hedgehog signaling via upregulating Gap43

  • Exp Cell Res. 2021 Jan 15;398(2):112420. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2020.112420.
Cong Zhang 1 Lili Cui 2 Weiliang He 3 Xiangjian Zhang 2 Huaijun Liu 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Radiology, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardio-cerebrovascular Disease, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
  • 2 Department of Neurology, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University; Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardio-cerebrovascular Disease, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
  • 3 Department of Neurology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
  • 4 Department of Radiology, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China. Electronic address: huaijunliu2@126.com.
Abstract

Neurite outgrowth is the basis for wiring during the development of the nervous system. Dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) has been recognized as a promising treatment to improve behavioral, neurological and cognitive outcomes in ischemic stroke. However, little is known about the effect and mechanism of NBP on the neurite outgrowth. In this study, we used different methods to investigate the potential effects of NBP on the neurite extension and plasticity of immature and mature primary cortical neurons and explored the underlying mechanisms. Our results demonstrated that in immature and mature cortical neurons, NBP promoted the neurite length and intersections, increased neuritic arborization, elevated numbers of neurite branch and terminal points and improved neurite complexity and plasticity of neuronal development processes. Besides, our data revealed that NBP promoted neurite extension and branching partly by activating Shh signaling pathway via increasing Gap43 expression both in immature and mature primary cortical neurons. The present study provided new insights into the contribution of NBP in neuronal plasticity and unveiled a novel pathway to induce Gap43 expression in primary cortical neurons.

Keywords

Dl-3-n-butylphthalide; Gap43; Immature and mature primary cortical neurons; Neurite outgrowth; Primary cortical neurons; Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway.

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