Hosphorylation of PI3KAkt and GSK3 is actually a key step in different Abscisic acid Autophagy cellular processes, including proliferation, development, survival, and apoptosis [58,59]. Prior research have demonstrated that MPP quickly and reversibly decreases Akt and GSK3 phosphorylation [31,60], which correlates with enhanced neuronal death [61,62]. Thus, we evaluated no matter whether PI3KAkt and GSK3 signaling pathways are involved within the antiapoptotic effects of sulfuretin. Constant with earlier reports, MPP decreased the phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 and GSK3 at Ser9; nonetheless, MC-Val-Cit-PAB-clindamycin Antibody-drug Conjugate/ADC Related sulfuretin reversed the dephosphorylation of Akt and GSK3 in MPP treated SHSY5Y cells (Figure 4A). GSK3 is often a downstream target of Akt [63] and a vital mediator of MPP induced cell injury [64]. GSK3 activation facilitates mitochondrial dysfunction, whereas its inhibition prevents neuronal loss by suppressing proapoptotic proteins [65]. Phosphorylation of GSK3 at Ser9 is primarily controlled by Akt and this phosphorylation substantially inhibits the activity of GSK3 [66]. LY294002 abolished the antiapoptotic effect of sulfuretin by preventing the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3 (Figure 5A,B). In addition, SB415286 attenuated MPP induced apoptosis, mimicking the protective effects of sulfuretin in SHSY5Y cells (Figure 5C). These benefits demonstrated that PI3KAkt and GSK3 mediates the protective effects of sulfuretin against MPP in SHSY5Y cells. Consistent with our outcomes, it was reported that PI3KAkt is activated by sulfuretin and responsible for th sulfuretininduced protective effect against amyloid [26]. MAPK signaling pathways are involved in numerous cellular events, such as differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, and at the least 3 key MAPK subfamilies (ERK, JNK, and p38) happen to be characterized [67]. Amongst them, ERK increases the survival of dopaminergic neurons [35,68]. The phosphorylation of ERK is reported to become suppressed after four h of exposure to MPP in SHSY5Y cells [35]. Our study confirmed that MPP reduced the phosphorylation of ERK, whereas sulfuretin reversed the MPP mediated ERK dephosphorylation (Figure 4B). It has previously been demonstrated that phosphorylated ERK migrates to the nucleus and regulates various transcription elements, top to adjustments in gene expression and cell proliferation [69]. In particular, PD98059 abolished the protective effects of sulfuretin on cell viability, suggesting that ERK is critical for sulfuretininduced protectionInt. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18,13 ofagainst MPP cytotoxicity (Figure 6A). Interestingly, LY294002 decreased the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3 with out altering ERK phosphorylation. Consistently, PD98059 decreased ERK phosphorylation with out altering phosphorylation of Akt or GSK3 (Figure 6B). These results indicate that each AktGSK3 and ERK contribute for the protective effects of sulfuretin in a mutually independent manner. Similarly, Zhang et al. showed that in main dopaminergic neurons, valproic acid has protective effects against MPP induced neurotoxicity such as apoptosis, dopamine uptake reduction and tyrosine hydroxylase inactivation [29]. LY294002 and PD98059 reversed valproic acidinduced neuroprotective effects. Interestingly, pretreatment with each LY294002 and PD98059 showed additional reverse effects when compared with LY294002 or PD98059 alone, suggesting additive impact of PI3KAkt and ERK signaling pathways. While we didn’t investigate how sulfuretin affects these signaling pathways, ROS may possibly have a possible as an up.