title: Differential activation of heme oxygenase-1 by chalcones and rosolic acid in endothelial cells.
abstract: The induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is widely recognized as an effective cellular strategy to counteract a variety of stressful events. We have shown that curcumin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester, two naturally occurring phytochemicals that possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic activities, induce HO-1 in many cell types. This suggests that stimulation of HO-1 could partly underlie the beneficial effects exerted by these plant-derived constituents. Here we examined the ability of additional plant constituents to up-regulate heme oxygenase activity and HO-1 in aortic endothelial cells. Incubation of endothelial cells with a series of polyphenolic chalcones (5-50 microM) resulted in increased heme oxygenase activity; interestingly, the chemical structure dictated the pattern of heme oxygenase induction, which was unique to each particular compound employed. We also found that rosolic acid, a constituent isolated from the rhizome of Plantago asiatica L. dramatically increased HO-1 in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Severe cytotoxicity was observed after prolonged exposure (24 or 48 h) of cells to curcumin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester, whereas 2'-hydroxychalcone and rosolic acid did not affect cell viability. By using different mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors, we determined that the extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38, and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal protein kinase pathways play only a minor role in the induction of HO-1 by rosolic acid and 2'-hydroxychalcone. On the other hand, increased intra- and extracellular thiols markedly reduced the rise in heme oxygenase activity elicited by rosolic acid. Thus, this study identified novel plant constituents that highly induce HO-1 in endothelial cells and investigated some of the mechanisms involved in this effect.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Unit, Department of Surgical Research, Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 3UJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Foresti
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoque
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Colin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Motterlini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001312:Aurintricarboxylic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002109:Caffeic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D002417:Cattle; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002599:Chalcone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D047188:Chalcones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000378:metabolism*; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010626:Phenylethyl Alcohol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002109:Caffeic Acids; D047188:Chalcones; D001312:Aurintricarboxylic Acid; D002599:Chalcone; C017037:aurin; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C055494:caffeic acid phenethyl ester; D003474:Curcumin; D010626:Phenylethyl Alcohol; C013031:2'-hydroxychalcone