3.6. Evaluation of Neuroprotective Outline in SH-SY5Y Cells

The neuroprotective efficacy of mitochondriotropic antioxidants 7 and 11 was evaluated in a cell-based assay against diverse oxidative stress inducers. Briefly, SH-SY5Y cells were pre-treated with Compounds 7 and 11 followed by incubation with the well-described aggressors that play a role in AD progression, namely Aβ-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ₄₂) [45], ferric nitrilotriacetate (FeNTA) [41] and glutamic acid [25]. Differentiated SH-SY5Y cells were pre-treated with the test compounds 7 (10 and 50 µM) and 11 (10 µM) for 30 min. Then, a culture medium containing Aβ₄₂ (25 µM), iron(III) (1 mM) or glutamic acid (16 mM) was added, and cells were incubated for additional 24 h. A negative control (cells treated with culture medium containing DMSO 0.1%) and a positive control (cells treated with culture medium containing DMSO 0.1%, followed by treatment with aggressors) were also included. Cell viability was estimated using the MTT reduction assay, as described by Fernandes et al. [46].