The protective effects of puerarin in cardiomyocytes from anoxia/reoxygenation injury are mediated by PKCε.
Puerarin is an isoflavone isolated from traditional Chinese medicine Ge-gen (Radix Puerariae). Clinical studies have confirmed the cardioprotective effects of puerarin; however, the mechanisms underlying these effects are still unclear. On the basis of previous findings, we hypothesized that puerarin protects cardiomyocytes from ischemia-reperfusion injury via the protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) (a critical cardioprotective protein) signalling pathway. Neonatal rat primary cardiomyocytes were preconditioned with puerarin or puerarin plus εV1-2, a selective PKCε inhibitor, prior to anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) treatment. Western blot analysis showed that expression and activity of PKCε protein in puerarin preconditioned group were both increased compared with the control or A/R group. Subsequent assays showed that preconditioning with puerarin could increase the viability of neonatal rat primary cardiomyocytes treated with A/R, decreased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, cell necrosis and apoptosis induced by A/R injury. However, the protective effects of puerarin completely disappeared in the group pretreated with puerarin plus εV1-2. Thus, for the first time, we revealed the protective effects of puerarin in cardiomocytes from anoxia/reoxygenation injury are mediated by PKCε.
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang, PR China; Department of Pharmacology & Molecular Therapeutics, Nanchang University School of Pharmaceutical Science, Nanchang, China.
Lei
L
Tang
Dan
D
Liu
Xiaoqing
X
Yi
Tiantian
T
Xu
Ying
Y
Liu
Yuchao
Y
Luo
Dong
D
Yin
Ming
M
He
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000083162:Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051744:Protein Kinase C-epsilon / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
D007529:Isoflavones; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; D000083162:Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D051744:Protein Kinase C-epsilon; C033607:puerarin
PKC epsilon; anoxia/reoxygenation; cardioprotection; puerarin