The Antioxidant Activity of Limonene Counteracts Neurotoxicity Triggered byAβ1-42 Oligomers in Primary Cortical Neurons

Abstract

Many natural-derived compounds, including the essential oils from plants, are investigated to find new potential protective agents in several neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the present study, we tested the neuroprotective effect of limonene, one of the main components of the genus Citrus, against the neurotoxicity elicited by Aβ1-42 oligomers, currently considered a triggering factor in AD. To this aim, we assessed the acetylcholinesterase activity by Ellman’s colorimetric method, the mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity by MTT assay, the nuclear morphology by Hoechst 33258, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by DCFH-DA fluorescent dye, and the electrophysiological activity of KV3.4 potassium channel subunits by patch-clamp electrophysiology. Interestingly, the monoterpene limonene showed a specific activity against acetylcholinesterase with an IC50 almost comparable to that of galantamine, used as positive control. Moreover, at the concentration of 10 µg/mL, limonene counteracted the increase of ROS production triggered by Aβ1-42 oligomers, thus preventing the upregulation of KV3.4 activity. This, in turn, prevented cell death in primary cortical neurons, showing an interesting neuroprotective profile against Aβ1-42-induced toxicity. Collectively, the present results showed that the antioxidant properties of the main component of the genus Citrus, limonene, may be useful to prevent neuronal suffering induced by Aβ1-42 oligomers preventing the hyperactivity of KV3.4.