VANL-100 Attenuates Beta-Amyloid-Induced Toxicity in SH-SY5Y Cells

Antioxidants are being explored as novel therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) through strategies such as chemically linking antioxidants to synthesize novel co-drugs. The main objective of this study was to assess the cytoprotective effects of the novel antioxidant compound VANL-100 in a cellular model of beta-amyloid (Aβ)-induced toxicity. The cytotoxic effects of Aβ in the presence and absence of all antioxidant compounds were measured using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2-5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in SH-SY5Y cells in both pre-treatment and co-treatment experiments. In pre-treatment experiments, VANL-100, or one of its parent compounds, naringenin (NAR), alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), or naringenin + alpha-lipoic acid (NAR + ALA), was administrated 24 h prior to an additional 24-h incubation with 20 μM non-fibril or fibril Aβ25–35. Co-treatment experiments consisted of simultaneous treatment with Aβ and antioxidants. Pre-treatment and co-treatment with VANL-100 significantly attenuated Aβ-induced cell death. There were no significant differences between the protective effects of VANL-100, NAR, ALA, and NAR + ALA with either form of Aβ, or in the effect of VANL-100 between 24-h pre-treatment and co-treatment. These results demonstrate that the novel co-drug VANL-100 is capable of eliciting cytoprotective effects against Aβ-induced toxicity.