Li C, Zhang C, Wang T, Xuan J, Su C, Wang Y. Heme oxygenase 1 induction protects myocardiac cells against hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis : The role of JNK/c-Jun/Caspase-3 inhibition and Akt signaling enhancement.
Herz 2016;
41:715-724. [PMID:
27220977 DOI:
10.1007/s00059-016-4424-6]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2015] [Revised: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Although recent studies have found that heme oxygenase (HO)-1 plays an important role in myocardiac cell survival, the precise mechanisms occurring during hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the cytoprotective mechanisms of HO-1 against H/R-induced myocardiac cell apoptosis and to explore whether the Akt signaling pathway contributed to the protection provided by HO-1.
METHODS
Cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP, a pharmacologic inducer of HO-1) was employed to induce the over-expression of HO-1 before H/R in H9c2 cells. Hoechst staining and flow cytometry were used to examine the extent of apoptosis. Furthermore, the effect of HO-1 on Akt, JNK, and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins (c-JUN and Caspase-3) was determined by Western blotting.
RESULTS
The results showed that over-expressed HO-1 could significantly protect myocardiac cells against H/R-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells. Furthermore, the protein expression of p‑Akt increased and of p‑JNK decreased in the H/R injury H9c2 cells when treated with CoPP. The apoptosis-related proteins c‑Jun and caspase-3 were both inhibited by over-expression of HO-1. At the same time, retreatment with zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP, a specific inhibitor of HO-1 enzymatic activity) or LY294002 (an inhibitor of Akt1) reversed the HO-1-induced changes.
CONCLUSION
In summary, our results suggest that HO-1 can decrease H/R-induced myocardiac cell apoptosis; the mechanism may be related to the activation of the Akt signaling pathway and, furthermore, to the inhibition of the JNK/c-Jun/caspase-3 signaling pathway.
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