The Role of p38 MAPK in Valproic Acid Induced Microglia Apoptosis
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2010
Description
Valproic acid (VPA), a widely prescribed drug for seizures and bipolar disorder, induces apoptosis in microglia, but the underlying mechanism by which microglia apoptosis in response to VPA is not yet known. In this study, we found that the mitochondrial pathway played an important role in VPA-induced apoptosis in both BV-2 microglia and mouse primary microglial cells. In addition, VPA increased the level of phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), but had no effects on phospho-ERK and phospho-JNK MAPKs. Moreover, p38 inhibitor SB203580 strongly inhibited VPA-induced apoptosis and caspase-3 activation. Taken together, our results clearly demonstrated that VPA could induce apoptosis of microglia via p38 MAPK and mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.
Citation Information
Xie, Nanchang; Wang, Cui; Lin, Youting; Li, Hui; Chen, Lin; Zhang, Tongxia; Sun, Yong; Zhang, Yi; Yin, Deling; and Chi, Zhaofu. 2010. The Role of p38 MAPK in Valproic Acid Induced Microglia Apoptosis. Neuroscience Letters. Vol.482(1). 51-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2010.07.004 PMID: 20621161 ISSN: 0304-3940