Thioredoxin-1 was Required for CREB Activity by Methamphetamine in Rat Pheochromocytoma Cells

Methamphetamine (METH) is one of the most commonly abused agents by illicit-drug users. Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) plays important biological roles both in intra- and extracellular compartments, including in regulation of various intracellular molecules via thiol redox control. In this study, we found that Trx-1 was induced by METH in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. Furthermore, PI3K/Akt pathway was involved in METH-induced increase of Trx-1 expression. An increase in phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) was also observed after exposure of PC12 cells to METH, which was inhibited by a PI3K inhibitor, LY294002. In addition, the siRNA targeted toTrx-1 reduced the level of phosphorylated CREB by METH, suggesting Trx-1 is necessary for increased activity of CREB by METH. The results obtained in this study showed that Trx-1 might play a role in the actions of METH.