Send Orders for Reprints to reprints@benthamscience.net Current Clinical Pharmacology, 2019, 14, 1-5 1 RESEARCH ARTICLE 1574-8847/19 $58.00+.00 © 2019 Bentham Science Publishers Minocycline Increases in-vitro Cortical Neuronal Cell Survival after Laser Induced Axotomy Burak Yulug 1,#,* , Mehmet Ozansoy 2,5,# , Merve Alokten 2 , Muzaffer Beyza Cetin Ozansoy 2,6 , Seyda Cankaya 1 , Lutfu Hanoglu 3 , Ulkan Kilic 4 and Ertugrul Kilic 6 1 Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Antalya/Alanya, Turkey; 2 Istanbul Medipol University, Regenerative and Restorative Medicine Research Center, Istanbul, Turkey; 3 Istanbul Medipol University, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey; 4 University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biology, Istanbul, Turkey; 5 Istanbul Medipol University, International School of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Istanbul, Turkey; 6 Istanbul Medipol University, School of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Istanbul, Turkey Abstract: Background: Antibiotic therapies targeting multiple regenerative mechanisms have the potential for neuroprotective effects, but the diversity of experimental strategies and analyses of non-standardised therapeutic trials are challenging. In this respect, there are no cases of successful clinical application of such candidate molecules when it comes to human patients. Methods: After 24 hours of culturing, three different minocycline (Sigma-Aldrich, M9511, Ger- many) concentrations (1 µM, 10 µM and 100 µM) were added to the primary cortical neurons 15 minutes before laser axotomy procedure in order to observe protective effect of minocycline in these dosages. Results: Here, we have shown that minocycline exerted a significant neuroprotective effect at 1 and 100µM doses. Beyond confirming the neuroprotective effect of minocycline in a more standardised and advanced in-vitro trauma model, our findings could have important implications for future stud- ies that concentrate on the translational block between animal and human studies. Conclusion: Such sophisticated approaches might also help to conquer the influence of human- made variabilities in critical experimental injury models. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that minocycline increases in-vitro neuronal cell survival after laser-axotomy. Keywords: Minocycline, laser-axotomy, in-vitro cortical cell culture, translational neuroscience. 1. INTRODUCTION Axotomy often initiates alterations in the cytology of nerve cells, changes in specific gene expression, transport of some neurotrophins and, degeneration of neurons. This proc- ess is induced retrogradely by depriving these cells of target- derived trophic support that finally lead to neuronal cell death. It has been already shown that the evolution of ab- normalities in neurons depends on several factors. These include the type of axotomized neurons, location of cell body lesion, and the intensity of injury [1]. Some studies have even recognized significant post-lesional differences after axotomy in specific neuronal cell types indicating that there *Address correspondence to this author at the Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Kestel District, PC:07400, Alanya/Antalya, Turkey; E-mail: byulug@medipol.edu.tr # Both authors are equally contributed to this work. is a variability in implementation of the severity of trauma that depends on the different type, severity and location of the lesion [1]. Accordingly, studies have already indicated that differences in the central nervous system (CNS) injury (such as dissection and acceleration) might cause a wide range of clinical complexity [2]. Several types of in-vitro damage methods in nervous tissue elements have been shown in controlled culture conditions. In this context, there have been many tool and techniques (i.e., different mechani- cal impactors and stretchers) to induce the in-vitro neuronal injury. However, these techniques did not offer enough stan- dardization for the applied trauma and failed to mimic direct mechanical damage on neuronal axons [2]. These findings together suggested the importance of conducting well- designed and highly controlled experimental studies to evaluate the pathophysiological changes of damaged neu- ronal cells. These novel experimental approaches would also provide real-time monitoring of the ongoing biomechanical A R T I C L E H I S T O R Y Received: December 27, 2018 Revised: January 02, 2019 Accepted: February 16, 2019 DOI: 10.2174/1574884714666190226093119