Effects of arsenic on apoptosis and expression of synaptophysin and growth associated protein 43 in primary cultured hippocampal neurons

Objective To observe the effects of arsenic on the cell viability,apoptosis and the protein expression of synaptophysin(SYN) and growth associated protein43(GAP-43) in primary cultured hippocampal neurons of rats. Methods The hippocampal neurons taken from newborn SD rats were cultured in vitro. The morphological changes,apoptosis and protein expression of SYN and GAP-43 were detected after the cells were incubated with sodium arsenite at the doses of 0.00, 0.05,0.10, 0.20 and 0.40 μg/ml for 24 h,respectively. Results Compared with the control group, the proportion of hippocampal neurons with rich neural network decreased(P0.01), the cell apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons increased(P0.05),and SYN protein expression significantly decreased(P0.01) in 0.10, 0.20 and 0.40 μg/ml groups, and GAP-43 protein expression in all arsenic-treated groups markedly decreased(P0.01). Furthermore, there was an appreciable increase in cell apoptosis rate,and decrease in SYN and GAP-43 protein expressions with the concentration of arsenic exposure increased. Conclusion Arsenic exposure can induce the apoptosis and damage the synaptic plasticity by decreasing the protein expression of SYN and GAP-43 in primary cultured hippocampal neurons of rats.