title: Puerarin Attenuates Anoxia/Reoxygenation Injury Through Enhancing Bcl-2 Associated Athanogene 3 Expression, a Modulator of Apoptosis and Autophagy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Puerarin has protective effects on ischemia-reperfusion injury, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully revealed. This study explored the effect of puerarin on the expression of Bcl-2 associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) in an in vitro model of anoxia/reoxygenation injury (A/RI) in neonate rat primary cardiomyocytes and the functions of BAG3 in A/RI.
  
  
  METHODS
  BAG3 expression in cardiomyocytes with or without puerarin pre-treatment was quantified using qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. The effects of BAG3 on A/RI were studied by measuring the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine phosphate kinase (CPK), the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). The effects of BAG3 on autophagy and apoptosis of the cardiomyocytes after A/RI were further studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Puerarin significantly promoted BAG3 expression in the rat primary cardiomyocytes after A/RI. Enforced BAG3 expression presented similar effects as puerarin pre-treatment in attenuating A/RI in terms of CPK, LDH, MDA, SOD, GSH-Px, ROS generation, and cell viability. BAG3 overexpression significantly stimulated autophagy in cardiomyocytes after A/RI, which presented protective effects on A/RI in terms of cell viability and apoptosis. Autophagy inhibition partly abrogated the protective effects of BAG3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Puerarin can directly increase BAG3 transcription and translation in cardiomyocytes after A/RI. The elevated BAG3 expression presents protective effects on A/RI at least through enhancing autophagy and reducing apoptosis, which is a novel protective mechanism of puerarin in ARI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tengzhou Central People's Hospital, Tengzhou, Shandong, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Yayu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Tengzhou Central People's Hospital, Tengzhou, Shandong, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Ya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gai
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tengzhou Central People's Hospital, Tengzhou, Shandong, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Jingpeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Zaozhuang Municipal Hospital, Zaozhuang, Shandong, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tengzhou Central People's Hospital, Tengzhou, Shandong, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Yangyang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C498807:BAG3 protein, rat; D007529:Isoflavones; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D010100:Oxygen; C033607:puerarin