Antagonizing Effects of Soybean Isoflavones on ß-Amyloid Peptide-Induced Oxidative Damage in Neuron Mitochondria of Rats

Soybean isoflavone (SIF) has been demonstrated to have neuroprotective effects induced by beta-amyloid peptides (A beta) through suppressing oxidative stress; however, the explicit mechanisms still remain uncovered. In the present study, 32 Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: an A beta 1-42-treated group, a SIF + A beta 1-42 group, a SIF-treated group and a control group. We measured the protein content of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OhdG) and mRNA expression of 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1). The protein expression of OGG1, Bcl-xl, Bad, beta subunit of ATP synthase (ATPB) and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) in brain was also measured. The results showed that the level of 8-OHdG in both SIF groups was significantly decreased compared to the A beta 1-42-treated group (p < 0.05), while the mRNA and protein expression of OGG1 in the SIF + A beta 1-42 groups were up-regulated compared with the A beta 1-42-treated groups (p < 0.05). The expression of Bcl-xl was up-regulated in the SIF-treated group compared with the A beta 1-42-treated groups (p < 0.05), while the expression of Bad was down-regulated in the two SIF-treated groups (p < 0.05). A beta 1-42 significantly down-regulated the expression of ATPase and PDH proteins compared with the control group (p < 0.05). SIF reversed the down-regulation effects on the mitochondrial energy metabolic enzymes induced by A beta 1-42 (p < 0.05) in the rats. These results suggest that SIF alleviate the oxidative stress in neurons and mitochondria of rat brains mediated by A beta 1-42, and these protective effects might be associated with the regulation of OGG1, Bad, Bcl-xl, ATPB and PDH.