Universitą degli studi di Pavia

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the vulnerability of neurons treated with Platinum complexes. The experiments are mainly performed on a rat neuroblastoma cell line (B50), and on hippocampal and cerebellar sections, taken from animals sacrified in several postnatal points. On these substrates it is possible to study a range of cellular death mechanisms, such as apoptosis and autofagy, resulting from the previous treatment with such chemotherapy drugs. Moreover a new Platinum compound (PTacacDMS) has recently been synthesized in Prof. Fanizzi’s Lab (Salento University), which differently from cisPt that binds to DNA double strand, has a specific reactivity with sulphur ligands of aminoacids in the cytosol and perinuclear area of cells. Our investigations are mainly conducted to compare the different side effects of these drugs on CNS.