Tranexamic acid protects against rotenone-induced apoptosis in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells

Rotenone is a pesticide that has been shown to induce the pathological symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) in animal models. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of tranexamic acid (TA) on rotenone-induced apoptosis in human dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells. TA blocked the rotenone-induced phosphorylation of JNK and P38, the downregulation of BCL2 and the upregulation of BAX. Furthermore, TA not only decreased the rotenone-induced cleavage of caspase 9, PARP, and caspase 3, but also increased caspase 3 enzymatic activity. Our findings indicate that TA is able to protect neuronal cells against apoptosis and suggest that TA might potentially serve as an agent for prevention or therapy of PD.