title: Lycium barbarum polysaccharides protect human lens epithelial cells against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and senescence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate the protective effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs) against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and senescence in human lens epithelial cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  To study apoptosis, SRA01/04 cells, a human lens epithelial cell lines, were exposed to 200 µM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 24 h with or without pretreatment with LBPs. Cell viability was measured using a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell apoptosis, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the loss of mitochondria membrane potential (Δψm) were detected by flow cytometric analyses. Expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins were measured by western blot analysis. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH) were quantized using commercial enzymatic kits according to the manufacturer's instructions. To study senescence, SRA01/04 cells were pre-incubated with LBPs and all cells were then exposed to 100 µM H2O2 for 96 h. Cellular senescence was assessed by morphologic examination and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LBPs significantly reduced H2O2-induced cell apoptosis, the generation of ROS, the loss of Δψm, and the levels of MDA. LBPs also inhibited H2O2-induced downregulated Bcl-2 and upregulated Bax proteins and increased the levels of SOD and GSH enzyme activity. Moreover, LBPs significantly attenuated H2O2-induced cellular senescence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggested that LBPs protect human lens epithelial cells from H2O2-induced apoptosis by modulating the generation of ROS, loss of Δψm, Bcl-2 family, and antioxidant enzyme activity and attenuating cellular senescence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Anhui Provincial Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Qingshan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Anhui Provincial Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Yuechun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Lian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, the Cell Biology Institute of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Guanghui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Guifang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Jingxiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000166:cytology*; D032305:Lycium / Q000737:chemistry*; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D020011:Protective Agents; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C500223:lycium barbarum polysaccharide; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide