ABSTRACT
Aim To investigate the effect of progester-one ( PROG) in protecting the neurons against impair-ment induced by the Aβ1-42 activated astrocytes, and the underlying molecular mechanism. Methods The astrocytes were divided into 5 groups: control, Aβ, and Aβplus PROG groups treated with 3 different con-centrations of progesterone for 24h. Then, Aβand pro-gesterone were removed, and neurons were co-cultured with the treated astrocytes. MTT assay was used to e-valuate the viability of cultured neurons; ELISA was used to detect the levels of IL-1βand TNF-αin culture media of astrocytes; immunofluorescence and Western blot were performed to detect the activation of NF-κB in astrocytes. Results PROG dose dependently pro-tected against Aβ1-42 activated astrocytes induced via-bility decrease in co-cultured neurons. Aβ induced release of IL-1β and TNF-α from astrocytes, and in-crease of NF-κB activity was abolished by progesterone treatment. Conclusion PROG protects the neurons through inhibiting the reactivity of astrocytes, and the underlying mechanism involves the NF-κB signal trans-duction.