Ferulic acid alleviates Aβ25-35- and lipopolysaccharide-induced PC12 cellular damage: a potential role in Alzheimer's disease by PDE inhibition.

Abstract Phosphodiesterase (PDE) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Ferulic acid (FA) has a therapeutic benefit in the treatment of AD. We investigated whether this therapeutic effect is based on the modulation of the PDE/cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) pathway. In the present study, we investigated whether FA could abrogate Aβ25-35- and lipopolysaccharide-induced cellular damage. Cell viability, superoxide production, and the levels of inflammatory factors were investigated. We further investigated the intracellular levels of cAMP and Ca2+, both of which are associated with PDE activity. Furthermore, molecular docking was used to identify the binding mode between phosphodiesterase 4B2 (PDE4B2) and FA. Pretreatment with FA significantly maintained cell viability, increased the levels of superoxide dismutase, and inhibited production of TNF-α and IL-1β induced by Aβ25-35. Moreover, pretreatment with FA increased the intracellular levels of cAMP and decreased the intracellular levels of Ca2+. The docking results also showed that FA has the potential to inhibit PDE4B2 activity. Taken together, our results suggested that one of the therapeutic effects of FA on AD was potentially mediated by modulating the PDE/cAMP pathway.