Prostaglandin D2 toxicity in primary neurons is mediated through its bioactive cyclopentenone metabolites

• Treatment of neuronal cells with PGD2 induces cell death and disruption of L-PGDS protects neurons against hypoxic injury.
• DP antagonists did not protect neurons from PGD2-induced cell death, suggesting that toxicity is DP receptor independent.
• PGD2 was converted to CyPGs which alone produced cell death, accumulation of Ub-proteins and apoptosis similar to PGD2.
• PGD2-induced cell death was blocked by treatment with NAC and GSH but not ascorbate or tocopherol.

Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) is the most abundant prostaglandin in brain but its effect on neuronal cell death is complex and not completely understood. PGD2 may modulate neuronal cell death via activation of DP receptors or its metabolism to the cyclopentenone prostaglandins (CyPGs) PGJ2, Δ12-PGJ2 and 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-PGJ2, inducing cell death independently of prostaglandin receptors. This study aims to elucidate the effect of PGD2 on neuronal cell death and its underlying mechanisms. PGD2 dose-dependently induced cell death in rat primary neuron-enriched cultures in concentrations of ≥10 μM, and this effect was not reversed by treatment with either DP1 or DP2 receptor antagonists. Antioxidants N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and glutathione which contain sulfhydryl groups that can bind to CyPGs, but not ascorbate or tocopherol, attenuated PGD2-induced cell death. Conversion of PGD2 to CyPGs was detected in neuronal culture medium; treatment with these CyPG metabolites alone exhibited effects similar to those of PGD2, including apoptotic neuronal cell death and accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins. Disruption of lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase (L-PGDS) protected neurons against hypoxia. These results support the hypothesis that PGD2 elicits its cytotoxic effects through its bioactive CyPG metabolites rather than DP receptor activation in primary neuronal culture.