Dimercaprol

Dimercaprol exerts its acrolein scavenging capability, significantly protects PC-12 cells from acrolein-mediated cell death in a dose dependent manner.^[3]

Cell viability was tested by WST-1 ([2-(4-Iodophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium]) assay. Both dimercaprol and acrolein were dissolved in Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS). The final concentration of acrolein was 100 μM. The final concentrations of dimercaprol were 10, 25, 50 and 100 μM. PC-12 cells were seeded in 12-well plates at the concentration of 10⁵ cells/well. After overnight incubation, acrolein was added into each well of acrolein group and treatment groups. Equal volumes of HBSS were added into wells of the negative control group. After incubation for 15 minutes, dimercaprol was added at the desired final concentrations (10, 25, 50 and 100 μM) into wells of treatment groups and equal volume of HBSS was added into other wells. The initial 15-minute incubation in acrolein was designed to mimic pathological conditions by allowing acrolein to enter the cells. WST-1 assay solution was added into every well after incubating 4 h, and then allowed to incubate for an additional 2 h.

Dimercaprol could significantly reduce acrolein contents in spinal cord tissue following a spinal cord contusion injury in rats.^[3]