Melatonin Supports the Survival of Cholinergic Neurons in Organotypic Brain Slices of the Basal Nucleus of Meynert

Abstract

The nucleus basalis of Meynert (nBM) is the major source of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain, which require nerve growth factor (NGF) for their survival. Melatonin, a pleiotropic hormone, has been shown to exert neuroprotection in several experimental models, but its effect on nBM neurons is not well known. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of melatonin in organotypic brain slices of the nBM. Organotypic nBM slices were incubated for 2 weeks without (control) or with 100 ng/mL NGF, 1 μM melatonin, or a combination of both. Cholinergic neurons were immunohistochemically stained for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and subjected to a co-localization study with silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and melatonin receptor 1A (MT1A), both potentially involved in melatonin neuroprotection. Counting of ChAT-positive neurons in nBM slices showed that melatonin and NGF significantly increased the number of ChAT-positive neurons compared to the control in a dose-dependent manner (1–10 μM). In co-treatment with NGF, melatonin did not potentiate the maximal NGF-mediated effect. Immunohistochemical analysis proved that cholinergic nBM neurons co-localized with SIRT1 and MT1A receptor. Our data show that melatonin improves the survival of cholinergic nBM neurons and confirm that they express SIRT1 and MT1A.