Mechanism of soluble beta-amyloid 25-35 neurotoxicity in primary cultured rat cortical neurons

This study aimed to determine the effects of different concentrations of soluble beta-amyloid 25-35 (Aβ25-35) on cell viability, calcium overload, and PI3K-p85 expression in cultured cortical rat neurons. Primary cultured cerebral cortical neurons of newborn rats were divided randomly into six groups. Five groups were treated with soluble Aβ25-35 at concentrations of 10 nmol/L, 100 nmol/L, 1 μmol/L, 10 μmol/L, or 30 μmol/L. Cell Counting Kit-8 staining was used to measure cell viability, laser-scanning confocal imaging was used to detect changes in intracellular free calcium concentration, and western blot assay was used to measure neuronal PI3K-p85 expression. Soluble Aβ25-35 was found to reduce cell viability and induce calcium overload in primary cultured rat cerebral cortical neurons, in a concentration-dependent manner. At certain concentrations, soluble Aβ25-35 also increased neuronal PI3K-p85 expression. These findings reveal that soluble Aβ25-35 reduces the viability of cultured cerebral cortical rat neurons. The neurotoxicity mechanism may involve calcium overload and disruption of insulin signal transduction pathways.