Neuroprotective effects of nimodipine and nifedipine in the NGF‐differentiated PC12 cells exposed to oxygen‐glucose deprivation or trophic withdrawal

The goal of this study was to compare the neuroprotective properties of the L-type Ca²⁺ channel blockers, nimodipine and nifedipine, using nerve growth factor (NGF)-differentiated PC12 neuronal cultures exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) and trophic withdrawal-induced cell death. Nimodipine (1-100 μM) conferred 65±13% neuroprotection upon exposure to OGD and 35±6% neuroprotection towards different trophic withdrawal-induced cell death measured by lactate dehydrogenase and caspase 3 activities. The time window of nimodipine conferred neuroprotection was detected during the first 5h but not at longer OGD exposures. Nifedipine (1-100 μM), to a lower potency than nimodipine, conferred 30-55±8% neuroprotection towards OGD in PC12 cells and 29±5% in rat hypocampal slices, and 10±3% neuroprotection at 100 μM towards trophic withdrawal-induced PC12 cell death. The ability to demonstrate that nimodipine conferred neuroprotection in a narrow therapeutic time-window indicates that the OGD PC12 model mimics the in vivo models and therefore suitable for neuroprotective drug discovery and development.