Soybean isoflavones protect dopaminergic neurons from atrazine damage by inhibiting VPS13A to increase autophagy

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety Vol. 286; p. 117225
• Main Authors: Li, Peng, Song, Weiyi, Xu, Nuo, Wang, Zijie, Pang, Haoying, Wang, Dandan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.11.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Atrazine; Autophagy; Neuroprotection; Soybean isoflavones; VPS13A; VPS13A; Neuroprotection; Autophagy; Soybean isoflavones; Atrazine
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.117225

Atrazine (ATR) is a broad-spectrum herbicide with dopaminergic (DAergic) neurotoxicity that can cause Parkinson’s disease (PD)-like syndrome. However, research on preventing ATR neurotoxicity is unclear. Soybean isoflavones (SI) are natural plant compounds with neuroprotective effects. In this study, we found that pre-administration of SI prevented ATR-induced motor dysfunction and substantia nigra pathological damage. RNA-seq datasets revealed that the neuroprotective effect of SI was related to autophagy. Further experiments showed that ATR inhibited autophagy, and SI pre-administration before ATR exposure increased autophagy. In addition, single-cell data analysis combined with experimental verification showed that the gene VPS13A was a key target by which SI protected DAergic neurons from ATR damage, and inhibiting VPS13A-induced autophagy was a key mechanism enabling SI prevention of neuron damage. Together, these findings provide new insights for the development of preventive measures and intervention targets protecting against functional neuronal damage caused by ATR and other herbicides. [Display omitted] •Pre-administration of soybean isoflavones (SI) can prevent atrazine (ATR)-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity.•SI-mediated neuroprotection is dependent on autophagy.•Downregulation of VPS13A expression leads to increased autophagy.•Inhibition of VPS3A to increase autophagy is a key mechanism by which SI prevents ATR-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity.