Alpha-Lipoic Acid Modulates GFAP, Vimentin, Nestin, Cyclin D1 and MAP-Kinase Espression in Astroglial Cell Cultures

In the present study, we evaluated the expression of some proliferation and differentiation markers in 15DIV astrocyte cultures pretreated or not with 0.5 mMglutamate for 24 h and than maintained under chronic oracute treatment with 50 lM R(+)enantiomer or racemealpha-lipoic acid (ALA). GFAP expression significantlyincreased after (R+)enantiomer acute-treatment and also inglutamate-pretreated ones. Vimentin expression increasedafter R(+)enantiomer acute-treatment, but it decreasedafter raceme acute-treatment. Nestin expression drasticallyincreased after acute raceme-treatment in glutamate-pretreated or not cultures, but significantly decreased after (R+)enantiomer acute and chronic-treatments. Cyclin D1 expression increased in raceme acute-treated cultures pretreatedwith glutamate. MAP-kinase expression slightlyincreased after (R+)enantiomer acute treatment in glutamate-pretreated or unpretreated ones. These preliminaryfindings may better clarify antioxidant and metabolic roleplayed by ALA in proliferating and differentiating astrocytecultures suggesting an interactive cross-talk betweenglial and neuronal cells, after brain lesions or damages.