N2L, a novel lipoic acid-niacin dimer protects HT22 cells against β-amyloid peptide-induced damage through attenuating apoptosis

β-amyloid protein (Aβ) is thought to be the primary cause of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Niacin has been reported to have beneficial effects on AD. Previously, we synthesized a novel compound lipoicacid–niacin dimer (N2L) and revealed that it had potent blood-lipid regulation and antioxidative properties without aflushing effect. Given that lipid metabolism is also associated with AD, the present study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of N2L on Aβ1–42-induced cytotoxicity in HT22 cells. We found that N2L significantly attenuated cell apoptosis, MDA level, ROS content, and the mitochondrial membrane potential corruption induced by Aβ1–42 in HT22 cells. In addition, the activities of SOD, GSH-px and CAT that were decreased by Aβ1–42 were also restored by N2L. Furthermore, N2L reduced proapoptotic signaling by increasing the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and decreasing the protein expression of both pro-apoptotic Bax and cleaved Caspase-3. Together, these findings indicate that N2L holds great potential for neuroprotection against Aβ1–42-induced cytotoxicity via inhibition of oxidative stress and cell apoptosis, suggesting that N2L may be a promising agent for AD therapy.