Ling-Gui-Zhu-Gan Decoction Protects H9c2 Cells against H2O2-Induced Oxidative Injury via Regulation of the Nrf2/Keap1/HO-1 Signaling Pathway

Xiang Wang; Tongjuan Tang; Mengting Zhai; Ruirui Ge; Liang Wang; Jinling Huang; Peng Zhou

doi:10.1155/2020/8860603

Ling-Gui-Zhu-Gan Decoction Protects H9c2 Cells against H₂O₂-Induced Oxidative Injury via Regulation of the Nrf2/Keap1/HO-1 Signaling Pathway

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020 Nov 30:2020:8860603. doi: 10.1155/2020/8860603. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Xiang Wang¹, Tongjuan Tang¹, Mengting Zhai¹, Ruirui Ge¹, Liang Wang^{2

3

4}, Jinling Huang^{2

3

4}, Peng Zhou^{2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China.
² Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China.
³ Research Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China.
⁴ Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Formula, Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China.

Abstract

Objectives: Ling-Gui-Zhu-Gan decoction (LGZGD) is a potentially effective treatment for heart failure, and it showed significant anti-inflammatory potential in our previous studies. However, its ability to ameliorate heart failure through regulation of oxidative stress response is still unknown. This study was aimed to investigate the protective effect of LGZGD-containing serum on H₂O₂-induced oxidative injury in H9c2 cells and explore the underlying mechanism.

Methods: Eighteen rats were randomly divided into two groups: the blank control group and LGZGD group. The LGZGD group rats were administrated with 8.4 g/kg/d LGZGD for seven consecutive days through gavage, while the blank control group rats were given an equal volume of saline. The serum was extracted from all the rats. To investigate the efficacy and the underlying mechanism of LGZGD, we categorized the H9c2 cells into groups: the control group, model group, normal serum control (NSC) group, LGZGD group, LGZGD + all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) group, and ATRA group. Malonedialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were used as markers for oxidative stress. Dichlorodihydrofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining was used to measure the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The apoptosis rate was detected using flow cytometry. The expression levels of pro-caspase-3, cleaved-caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax, Keap1, Nrf2, and HO-1 were measured using western blotting. The mRNA levels of Keap1, Nrf2, and HO-1 were measured using RT-qPCR.

Results: The LGZGD attenuated injury to H9c2 cells and reduced the apoptosis rate. It was also found to upregulate the SOD activity and suppress the formation of MDA and ROS. The expression levels of pro-caspase-3 and Bcl-2 were significantly increased, while those of cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax were decreased in the LGZGD group compared with the model group. As compared with the model group, the LGZGD group demonstrated decreased Keap1 protein expression and significantly increased Nrf2 nuclear expression and Nrf2-mediated transcriptional activity. ATRA was found to reverse the LGZGD-mediated antioxidative and antiapoptotic effect on injured H9c2 cells induced by H₂O₂.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that LGZGD attenuated the H₂O₂-induced injury to H9c2 cells by inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis via the Nrf2/Keap1/HO-1 pathway. These observations suggest that LGZGD might prevent and treat heart failure through regulation of the oxidative stress response.