title: Antiapoptotic effect of ouabain on human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
abstract: The present study investigates the effect of ouabain on caspase-3 activation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Ouabain (EC(50) 20 nM) reduced caspase-3 activity in HUVEC treated for 24h in a medium deprived of fibroblast growth factor (FGF). Incubation for 5h in the absence of both FGF and serum produced an increase in caspase-3 activity that was completely abolished by 100 nM ouabain. Pretreatment with the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI-3K) inhibitor, wortmannin, prevented the protective effect of ouabain against serum deprivation. Furthermore, Western blotting analysis revealed an increase in phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK-1 and ERK-2) induced by 100nM ouabain in serum-deprived cells. In accord, pretreatment of HUVEC with PD98059, inhibitor of the ERK pathway, abrogated the effect of ouabain. Our results show that ouabain has an antiapoptotic effect on HUVEC through the activation of PI-3K and ERK dependent pathways.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Farmacologia ed Anestesiologia, Università di Padova, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trevisi
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Visentin
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cusinato
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pighin
authors.forename: Sisto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luciani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D010042:Ouabain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D010042:Ouabain; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; C505407:CASP3 protein, human