ABSTRACT
AIM:To study the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) on oxidative stress injury of human endothelium-like EA. Hy926 cells induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). METHODS:The EA. Hy926 cell model of oxidative stress injury was established by H2O2 treatment. The EA. Hy926 cells were divided into 5 groups:control group, damage (H2O2 at 50 mmol/L) group, LBP (100 mg/L) group, anti-damage groups (LBP at 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L or 200 mg/L+50 mol/L H2O2), and LY294002 (20 μmol/L) group. The effect of LBP at different concentrations on the cell viability of EA. Hy926 cells was measured by CCK-8 assay, and the optimum concentration of LBP was screened out. The apoptotic of EA. Hy926 cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. Acridine orange/ethidium bromide ( AO/EB) staining was used to observe the morphological characteristics of the apoptotic cells. The cell migration ability was detected by scratch method. The levels of nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the cell culture medium were examined. The protein levels of cleaved caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2, endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), p-eNOS and p-Akt were determined by Western blot. RESULTS:LBP at concentration of 100 mg/L significantly attenuated the injury of EA. Hy926 cells induced by H2O2, as indicated by improved cell viability ( P <0.05 ) and decreased apoptosis ( P <0.05). Pretreatment with LBP elevated the levels of NO and VEGF (P<0.05), and promoted the migration ability of EA. Hy926 cells. LBP also increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, down-regulated the protein level of cleaved caspase-3, and up-regulated the protein levels of eNOS and p-eNOS. The protective effect of LBP were abolished by pretreatment of the EA. Hy926 cells with the inhibitor of PI3K (P<0.05). As a result, the protein level of p-Akt was down-regulated, and the level of NO was also significantly reduced. CONCLUSION:LBP has protective effect on H2O2-induced EA. Hy926 cells by attenuating apoptosis of the cells. The mechanism is closely related to the activation of PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate lead distribution and the change of 78 000 glucose regulated protein (GRP78) in various organs of weaned rats challenged with low-level maternal origin lead.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Male littermates, bred from the female Fisher 344 rats gavaged with lead acetate or sodium acetate (1 ml of 10 mg/ml per day per animal) with male Fisher 344 rats without lead treatment, were divided into 4 groups including control (group A), gestation plus lactation (group B), gestation only (group C), and lactation only (group D). Each group had 6 litters. These littermates were weaned and terminated at postnatal day 21. Lead contents and GRP78 levels in various organs of these littermates were determined by atomic absorbance spectrometry (AAS) and Western blotting analysis, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Maternal lead was observed to transfer to littermates through gestation and lactation. Concentrations of littermate blood lead in groups A to D were (0.0010+/-0.0010), (0.1420+/-0.0190), (0.0250+/-0.0040), and (0.1490+/-0.0160) microg/ml, respectively. Concentrations of littermate brain lead in groups A to D were (0.0005+/-0.0005), (0.1120+/-0.0130), (0.0125+/-0.0042), and (0.0700+/-0.0058) microg/g, respectively. Concentrations of littermate kidney lead in groups A to D were (0.0050+/-0.0050), (1.0400+/-0.1000), (0.1040+/-0.0330), and (0.9920+/-0.0850) microg/g, respectively. Concentrations of littermate liver lead in groups A to D were (0.0030+/-0.0050), (0.3600+/-0.0550), (0.0567+/-0.0126), and (0.3030+/-0.0310) microg/g, respectively. Blood, brain, kidney and liver lead concentrations in groups B and D were significantly higher than those in group C and differences were 5-10 folds. Arbitrary units of littermate leukocytic GRP78 concentration normalized with actin protein in groups A to D were 1.000+/-0.038, 1.180+/-0.060, 0.998+/-0.109, and 1.290+/-0.110, respectively. Arbitrary units of littermate brain GRP78 concentration normalized with actin protein level in groups A to D were 0.996+/-0.128, 0.922+/-0.246, 1.150+/-0.170, and 0.750+/-0.126, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Lead in maternal bodies could be transferred to litter bodies through gestation and lactation and distributed in various organs. Lead might also changed GRP78 expression in leukocytes.</p>