Neuroprotective effects of <i>bcl‐2</i> overexpression in hippocampal cultures: interactions with pathways of oxidative damage

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Overexpression of <jats:italic>bcl‐2</jats:italic>protects neurons from numerous necrotic insults, both <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>in vivo</jats:italic>. While the bulk of such protection is thought to arise from Bcl‐2 blocking cytochrome <jats:italic>c</jats:italic> release from mitochondria, thereby blocking apoptosis, the protein can target other steps in apoptosis, and can protect against necrotic cell death as well. There is evidence that these additional actions may be antioxidant in nature, in that Bcl‐2 has been reported to protect against generators of reactive oxygen species (ROS), to increase antioxidant defenses and to decrease levels of ROS and of oxidative damage. Despite this, there are also reports arguing against either the occurrence, or the importance of these antioxidant actions. We have examined these issues in neuron‐enriched primary hippocampal cultures, with overexpression of <jats:italic>bcl‐2</jats:italic> driven by a herpes simplex virus amplicon: (i) Bcl‐2 protected strongly against glutamate, whose toxicity is at least partially ROS‐dependent. Such protection involved reduction in mitochondrially derived superoxide. Despite that, Bcl‐2 had no effect on levels of lipid peroxidation, which is thought to be the primary locus of glutamate‐induced oxidative damage; (ii) Bcl‐2 was also mildly protective against the pro‐oxidant adriamycin. However, it did so without reducing levels of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide or lipid peroxidation; (iii) Bcl‐2 protected against permanent anoxia, an insult likely to involve little to no ROS generation. These findings suggest that Bcl‐2 can have antioxidant actions that may nonetheless not be central to its protective effects, can protect against an ROS generator without targeting steps specific to oxidative biochemistry, and can protect in the absence of ROS generation. Thus, the antioxidant actions of Bcl‐2 are neither necessary nor sufficient to explain its protective actions against these insults in hippocampal neurons.</jats:p>