RESUMO
Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, a multifaceted pathological process, occurs when the prolongation of reperfusion duration triggers ferroptosis-mediated myocardial damage. Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a single flavonoid from licorice, exhibits a wide range of pharmacological impacts, but its function in ferroptosis caused by myocardial I/R injury remains unclear. This study delved into the protective effect of ISL on myocardial I/R injury-induced ferroptosis and its mechanism. Neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes (NMCM) underwent hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) to simulate the pathological process of myocardial I/R. ISL significantly attenuated H/R-triggered production of reactive oxygen species in NMCM, reduced the expression of malondialdehyde and the activity of lactate dehydrogenase, enhanced superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, and increased the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its downstream heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), thereby mitigating oxidative stress damage. CCK8 experiment revealed that the ferroptosis inhibitor Ferrostatin-1 significantly improved myocardial cell viability after 24 h of reoxygenation, and ISL treatment showed a similar effect. ISL reduced intracellular free iron accumulation, up-regulated glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) expression, and inhibited lipid peroxidation accumulation, thereby alleviating ferroptosis. The Nrf2-specific inhibitor ML385 counteracted ISL's defensive role against H/R-triggered oxidative stress damage and ferroptosis. In vivo experiments further confirmed that by regulating the translocation of Nrf2 into the nucleus, ISL treatment increased the levels of HO-1, GPX4, and SLC7A11, inhibited the expression of ACSL4, Drp1 to exert the antioxidant role, alleviated mitochondrial damage, and ferroptosis, ultimately reducing myocardial infarction area and injury induced by I/R. ML385 nearly abolished ISL's protective impact on the I/R model by inhibiting Nrf2 function. In summary, ISL is capable of mitigating oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, and cardiomyocyte ferroptosis caused by I/R, thereby reducing myocardial injury. A key mechanism includes triggering the Nrf2/HO-1/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway to prevent oxidative stress damage and cardiomyocyte ferroptosis caused by I/R.
Assuntos
Chalconas , Ferroptose , Heme Oxigenase-1 , Traumatismo por Reperfusão Miocárdica , Miócitos Cardíacos , Fator 2 Relacionado a NF-E2 , Estresse Oxidativo , Fosfolipídeo Hidroperóxido Glutationa Peroxidase , Animais , Traumatismo por Reperfusão Miocárdica/tratamento farmacológico , Traumatismo por Reperfusão Miocárdica/metabolismo , Traumatismo por Reperfusão Miocárdica/patologia , Chalconas/farmacologia , Fator 2 Relacionado a NF-E2/metabolismo , Fator 2 Relacionado a NF-E2/genética , Camundongos , Fosfolipídeo Hidroperóxido Glutationa Peroxidase/metabolismo , Fosfolipídeo Hidroperóxido Glutationa Peroxidase/genética , Miócitos Cardíacos/efeitos dos fármacos , Miócitos Cardíacos/metabolismo , Miócitos Cardíacos/patologia , Ferroptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Estresse Oxidativo/efeitos dos fármacos , Heme Oxigenase-1/metabolismo , Heme Oxigenase-1/genética , Masculino , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas de Membrana/metabolismo , Proteínas de Membrana/genéticaRESUMO
Background: Oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction play critical roles in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a flavonoid monomer extracted from licorice, has been found to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in cancer studies. Here, we tested the effect and underlying mechanisms of ISL on ischemia-induced myocardial injury in a mouse AMI model. Methods: Adult C57BL/6 mice were pre-treated by intraperitoneal injection of ISL and/or a specific nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) inhibitor ML385 for 3 days, respectively. Then, the AMI model was established by ligating the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery. Myocardial oxidative stress status, inflammatory response, cardiac function and infarction size were assessed after 7th day of surgery. Results: Compared with sham group, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in AMI group were significantly increased. However, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) level were dramatically decreased. ISL treatment significantly reduced the myocardial infarction area, improved cardiac function, inhibited the production of ROS and MDA and reduced the consumption of SOD and GSH-Px. Interestingly, ISL could significantly increase nuclear Nrf2 and cytosolic heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) level in the infarcted myocardium and reduce the oxidative stress after AMI. Also, ISL treatment dramatically inhibited the activation of myocardial NF-κB pathway and reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory factors in the AMI group. However, the administration of ML385 not only suppressed the Nrf2/HO-1 activation, the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects induced by ISL, but also attenuated the beneficial role of ISL on reducing infarct size and improving cardiac function in the mouse with AMI. Conclusion: The results suggested that activation of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway has an essential role in ISL-induced cardiac protection by alleviating myocardial oxidative stress and inflammation response in mice with AMI.
