Cardioprotective effects of constitutively active MEK1 against H2O2-induced apoptosis and autophagy in cardiomyocytes via the ERK1/2 signaling pathway

Exploring the Efficacy Enhancement Mechanism of Qixue Shuangbu prescription after TCM processing for treating chronic heart failure by regulating ERK/Bcl-2/Bax/Caspases-3 signaling pathway

Qixue Shuangbu prescription (QSP) has been used for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) with remarkable curative effect. Processed QSP (PQSP) could significantly improve the treatment of CHF after traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) processing. This study elucidated the underlying efficacy enhancement mechanism of QSP after TCM processing for treating CHF in vitro and in vivo. The injury of rat cardiomyoblast H9c2 cells was induced by anoxia/reoxygenation to mimic CHF state in vitro. Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were used to established CHF model by intraperitoneally injecting doxorubicin (the accumulative dose 15 mg/kg). Biochemical examinations were performed in serum and cellular supernatant, respectively. Cardiac functions and histopathological changes were evaluated in CHF model rats. The protein and mRNA levels of ERK1/2, Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 were evaluated by Western blot and RT-PCR, respectively. All above results of low dose crude QSP-treated group (L-CQSP), high dose CQSP-treated group (H-CQSP), low dose PQSP-treated group (L-PQSP), high dose PQSP-treated group (H-PQSP) were compared to systematically explore correlations between TCM processing and the efficacy enhancement for treating CHF of PQSP. Compared with the model group, the L-CQSP group showed significant improvement in cardiac function at 8th weeks, while no significant improvement in cardiomyocyte apoptosis and fibrosis. Both H-CQSP, L-PQSP and H-PQSP exerted beneficial therapeutic effects in injured H9c2 cardiomyocytes and CHF model rats. L-PQSP and H-PQSP significantly increased cell viability and the activity of SOD, decreased the activities of LDH, MDA and NO, up-regulated the expression of ERK1/2 and Bcl-2, down-regulated the expression of Bax and Caspase-3 compared to the same dosage of CQSP. The efficacy enhancement mechanism of PQSP after TCM processing for treating CHF was directly related to the regulation of ERK/Bcl-2/Bax/Caspases-3 signaling pathway.

Spermidine suppresses oxidative stress and ferroptosis by Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 and Akt/FHC/ACSL4 pathway to alleviate ovarian damage

AIMS

Oxidative stress is considered to be one of the culprits of ovarian dysfunction. Spermidine (SPD) is a natural aliphatic polyamine that is widely present in living organisms and has been shown to exert preventive effects on various ageing-related diseases. This study seeks to investigate the potential preventive and protective effects of SPD on ovarian oxidative damage.

MAIN METHODS

Ovarian oxidative stress model in C57BL/6 mice was established by 3-nitropropionic acid. Female mice were administrated 10 mg/kg or 15 mg/kg SPD. The estrous cycle, serum hormone levels and mating test were measured to evaluate ovarian function. Follicle counts and AMH levels to assess ovarian reserve. Masson's trichrome to assess ovarian fibrosis. TUNEL analysis to evaluate follicular granulosa cells (GCs) apoptosis. Oxidative stress and autophagy indicators (Nrf2, HO-1, GPX4, LC3B, P62) were measured in vivo and in vitro. RNA-sequencing was performed on SPD-treated GC to study the effects of SPD on Akt and FHC/ACSL4 signaling.

KEY FINDINGS

SPD supplementation improved ovarian endocrine function and reproductive capacity in oxidative stress mice. SPD regularized the estrous cycle and alleviated oxidative stress. Furthermore, SPD increased the ovarian reserve, reducing GC apoptosis by activating the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 pathway. RNA-sequencing showed that SPD induced 230 genes changes in porcine GC, which were mainly involved in oocyte meiosis, arginine biosynthesis and glutathione metabolism pathways. SPD attenuated H2O2-induced ferroptosis by regulating Akt/FHC/ACSL4 signaling.

SIGNIFICANCE

SPD alleviates oxidative stress and ferroptosis by regulating the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 and Akt/FHC/ACSL4 pathway, which may be a novel potential strategy to protect ovarian oxidative damage.

Low-Molecular-Weight β-1,3-1,6-Glucan Derived from Aureobasidium pullulans Exhibits Anticancer Activity by Inducing Apoptosis in Colorectal Cancer Cells

β-glucan, a plant polysaccharide, mainly exists in plant cell walls of oats, barley, and wheat. It is attracting attention due to its high potential for use as functional foods and pharmaceuticals. We have previously reported that low-molecular-weight Aureobasidium pullulans-fermented β-D-glucan (LMW-AP-FBG) could inhibit inflammatory responses by inhibiting mitogen-activated protein kinases and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways. Bases on previous results, the objective of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of LMW-AP-FBG in BALB/c mice intracutaneously transplanted with CT-26 colon cancer cells onto their backs. Daily intraperitoneal injections of LMW-AP-FBG (5 mg/kg) for two weeks significantly suppressed tumor growth in mice bearing CT-26 tumors by reducing tumor proliferation and inducing apoptosis as compared to phosphate buffer-treated control mice. In addition, LMW-AP-FBG treatment reduced the viability of CT-26 cells in a dose-dependent manner by inducing apoptosis with loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and increased activated caspases. Taken together, LMW-AP-FBG exhibits anticancer properties both in vivo and in vitro.

Extracellular Adenosine Triphosphate Binding to P2Y1 Receptors Prevents Glutamate-Induced Excitotoxicity: Involvement of Erk1/2 Signaling Pathway to Suppress Autophagy

Glutamate-induced neuroexcitotoxicity could be related to the pathophysiology of some neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Extracellular ATP exerts a wide variety of functions, such as attenuating Aβ-mediated toxicity, inhibiting N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit combinations, and aggravating ischemic brain injury. However, the effect of extracellular ATP on glutamate-induced neuroexcitotoxicity remains largely unknown. Herein, we showed that extracellular ATP prevented the glutamate-induced excitotoxicity via binding to its P2Y1 receptors. We found that excessive glutamate triggered cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction and mitochondrial membrane potential damage, which were significantly attenuated by extracellular ATP. Besides, glutamate activated autophagy, as illustrated by the increased protein level of autophagic marker LC3II and decreased level of p62, and glutamate-induced neuroexcitotoxicity could be completely abolished by autophagy inhibitor chloroquine. In addition, we revealed that extracellular ATP activated Erk1/2 signaling to suppress autophagy and to exert its neuroprotective effects, which was further reduced by autophagy agonist rapamycin and the selective Erk1/2 inhibitor PD0325901. Taken together, our findings suggest that extracellular ATP binding to P2Y1 receptors protected against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity via Erk1/2-mediated autophagy inhibition, implying the potential of ATP for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Plasma-derived extracellular vesicles transfer microRNA-130a-3p to alleviate myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by targeting ATG16L1

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are implicated in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury as modulators by shuttling diverse cargoes, including microRNAs (miRNAs). The current study was initiated to unravel the potential involvement of plasma-derived EVs carrying miR-130a-3p on myocardial I/R injury. Rats were induced with moderate endoplasmic reticulum stress, followed by isolation of plasma-derived EVs. Then, an I/R rat model and hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cardiomyoblast model were established to simulate a myocardial I/R injury environment where miR-130a-3p was found to be abundantly expressed. miR-130a-3p was confirmed to target and negatively regulate autophagy-related 16-like 1 (ATG16L1) in cardiomyoblasts. Based on a co-culture system, miR-130a-3p delivered by EVs derived from plasma protected H/R-exposed cardiomyoblasts against H/R-induced excessive cardiomyoblast autophagy, inflammation, and damage, improving cardiac dysfunction as well as myocardial I/R-induced cardiac dysfunction and tissue injury. The mechanism underlying the functional role of EVs-loaded miR-130a-3p was found to be dependent on its targeting relation with ATG16L1. The protective action of EV-carried miR-130a-3p was further re-produced in a rat model serving as in vivo validation as evidenced by improved cardiac function, tissue injury, myocardial fibrosis, and myocardial infarction. Collectively, miR-130a-3p shuttled by plasma-derived EVs was demonstrated to alleviate excessive cardiomyoblast autophagy and improve myocardial I/R injury.

Nicotinamide-cinnamic acid cocktail exerts pancreatic β-cells survival coupled with insulin secretion through ERK1/2 signaling pathway in an animal model of apoptosis

PURPOSE

Pancreatic β-cells protection is integral to insulin secretion in diabetic conditions. In this context, we investigated cinnamic acid in combination with nicotinamide on the regulation of insulin secretion and apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells using streptozotocin (STZ)-induced apoptotic model in vivo.

METHODS

The pancreata of nicotinamide (NA)-cinnamic acid (CA) treated rats were studied using histopathological, immunofluorescence, molecular docking, and RT-PCR analyses, supported by serum glucose and insulin levels.

RESULTS

The biochemical data revealed that the acute treatment of NA and CA in combination significantly increased serum insulin, thereby lowering blood glucose level in vivo. From histological findings, NA-CA pre-treatment displayed significant protection against STZ-apoptotic trends, improved insulin secretion, and recapitulated the STZ-induced morphology to normal control. The upregulated expressions of caspases, caused by STZ-treatments, were significantly downregulated with NA-CA in immunofluorescent detection and their translational levels, respectively. We found dense ERK½-insulin staining and p-ERK½ expression, which was further supported by strong ERK½ residues-ligands interactions based on in silico analysis.

CONCLUSION

From the pre-clinical data, we thus conclude that NA-CA cocktail exerts dual insulin releasing and survival effects in pancreatic β-cells by targeting ERK½ pathway.

Neuroprotective effects of methylcobalamin in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury through activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway

Despite advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke, therapeutic options remain limited. Methylcobalamin is an endogenous vitamin B12 that exhibits anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic activities in a variety of diseases. In this study, we aimed to explore the neuroprotective effects and mechanism of action of methylcobalamin on cerebral ischemic injury in vitro and in vivo. The oxygen and glucose deprivation/reperfusion model and middle cerebral artery occlusion model were used to simulate cerebral ischemic injury in vitro and in vivo. Cell viability, inflammatory factors, cell apoptosis, and protein expression levels were determined. Further, autophagy flux and the cerebral infarction volume were measured. The modified neurological severity score, Longa score, Rotarod assay, and foot-fault test were used to evaluate behavioral changes and neurological deficits in rats. In vitro, methylcobalamin significantly increased cell viability, decreased lactate dehydrogenase release, attenuated inflammatory cytokine expression, reduced the apoptotic proportion, and enhanced autophagy flux after OGD treatment. In addition, Bcl-2 and Beclin1 expression levels and the LC3 II/I ratio were increased, whereas levels of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were decreased. In vivo, methylcobalamin significantly reduced the cerebral infarction volume and neurological deficits in the rats. Furthermore, methylcobalamin activated the ERK1/2 pathway, whereas ERK1/2 inhibitors diminished its effects in the in vitro and in vivo models. In conclusion, methylcobalamin may exert a neuroprotective effect on cerebral ischemia and is a promising drug candidate for developing novel neuroprotective therapies.

Suppressing ERK Pathway Impairs Glycochenodeoxycholate-Mediated Survival and Drug-Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Glycochenodeoxycholate (GCDA), a toxic component in bile salts, is involved in carcinogenesis of gastrointestinal tumors. The objective of this research was to study the function of ERK1/2 in the GCDA-mediated survival and drug-resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCCs). Firstly, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) was detected extensively expressed in liver cancer cells, and silencing ERK1/2 by RNA interference could suppress GCDA-stimulated survival and promote apoptosis. Furthermore, phosphorylation of endogenous ERK1/2 could be potently stimulated by GCDA in combination with enhanced chemoresistance in QGY-7703 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The GCDA-mediated proliferation and chemoresistance could be impaired by PD98059, which acted as an inhibitor to block the phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Mechanistically, PD98059 was able to potently suppress GCDA-stimulated nuclear aggregation of ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2, upregulate pro-survival protein Mcl-1 and downregulate pro-apoptotic protein Bim. The results of this study indicated that disruption of ERK1/2 by blocking phosphorylation or nuclear translocation may put forward new methods for solving the problem of GCDA-related proliferation and drug-resistance in liver cancer treatment.

Bilirubin Restrains the Anticancer Effect of Vemurafenib on BRAF-Mutant Melanoma Cells Through ERK-MNK1 Signaling

Melanoma, the most threatening cancer in the skin, has been considered to be driven by the carcinogenic RAF-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling pathway. This signaling pathway is usually mainly dysregulated by mutations in BRAF or RAS in skin melanomas. Although inhibitors targeting mutant BRAF, such as vemurafenib, have improved the clinical outcome of melanoma patients with BRAF mutations, the efficiency of vemurafenib is limited in many patients. Here, we show that blood bilirubin in patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma treated with vemurafenib is negatively correlated with clinical outcomes. In vitro and animal experiments show that bilirubin can abrogate vemurafenib-induced growth suppression of BRAF-mutant melanoma cells. Moreover, bilirubin can remarkably rescue vemurafenib-induced apoptosis. Mechanically, the activation of ERK-MNK1 axis is required for bilirubin-induced reversal effects post vemurafenib treatment. Our findings not only demonstrate that bilirubin is an unfavorable for patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma who received vemurafenib treatment, but also uncover the underlying mechanism by which bilirubin restrains the anticancer effect of vemurafenib on BRAF-mutant melanoma cells.

DHA Protects Hepatocytes from Oxidative Injury through GPR120/ERK-Mediated Mitophagy

Oxidative stress occurs in a variety of clinical liver diseases and causes cellular damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. The clearance of damaged mitochondria by mitophagy may facilitate mitochondrial biogenesis and enhance cell survival. Although the supplementation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been recognized to relieve the symptoms of various liver diseases, the antioxidant effect of DHA in liver disease is still unclear. The purpose of our research was to investigate the antioxidant effect of DHA in the liver and the possible role of mitophagy in this. In vitro, H₂O₂-induced injury was caused in AML12 cells. The results showed that DHA repressed the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by H₂O₂ and stimulated the cellular antioxidation response. Most notably, DHA restored oxidative stress-impaired autophagic flux and promoted protective autophagy. In addition, PINK/Parkin-mediated mitophagy was activated by DHA in AML12 cells and alleviated mitochondrial dysfunction. The ERK1/2 signaling pathway was inhibited during oxidative stress but reactivated by DHA treatment. It was proven that the expression of ERK1/2 was involved in the regulation of mitophagy by the ERK1/2 inhibitor. We further proved these results in vivo. DHA effectively alleviated the liver oxidative damage caused by CCl₄ and enhanced antioxidation capacity; intriguingly, autophagy was also activated. In summary, our data demonstrated that DHA protected hepatocytes from oxidative damage through GPR120/ERK-mediated mitophagy.

Sevoflurane preconditioning attenuates hypoxia/reoxygenation injury of H9c2 cardiomyocytes by activation of the HIF-1/PDK-1 pathway

Background

Sevoflurane preconditioning (SPC) can provide myocardial protective effects similar to ischemic preconditioning (IPC). However, the underlying molecular mechanism of SPC remains unclear. Studies confirm that hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) can transform cells from aerobic oxidation to anaerobic glycolysis by activating the switch protein pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-1 (PDK-1), thus providing energy for the normal life activities of cells under hypoxic conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the cardioprotective effects of SPC are associated with activation of the HIF-1a/PDK-1 signal pathway.

Methods

The H9c2 cardiomyocytes hypoxia/reoxygenation model was established and treated with 2.4% sevoflurane at the end of equilibration. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, cell viability, cell apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, key enzymes of glycolysis, ATP concentration of glycolysis were assessed after the intervention. Apoptosis related protein(Bcl-2, Bax), HIF-1a protein, and PDK-1 protein were assessed by western blot.

Results

Compared with the H/R group, SPC significantly increased the expression of HIF-1a, PDK-1, and Bcl-2 and reduced the protein expression of Bax, which markedly decreased the apoptosis ratio and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, increasing the cell viability, content of key enzymes of glycolysis, ATP concentration of glycolysis and stabilizing the mitochondrial membrane potential. However, the cardioprotective effects of SPC were disappeared by treatment with a HIF-1a selective inhibitor.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the cardioprotective effects of SPC are associated with the activation of the HIF-1a/PDK-1 signaling pathway. The mechanism may be related to increasing the content of key enzymes and ATP of glycolysis in the early stage of hypoxia.

MicroRNA‑494 suppresses hypoxia/reoxygenation‑induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and autophagy via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway by targeting SIRT1

Acute myocardial infarction can be caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury; however, the mechanism underlying I/R is not completely understood. The present study investigated the functions and mechanisms underlying microRNA (miR)-494 in I/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and autophagy. Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-treated H9c2 rat myocardial cells were used as an in vitro I/R injury model. Apoptosis and autophagy were analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, Lactic dehydrogenase and superoxide dismutase assay, flow cytometry, TUNEL staining and western blotting. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR demonstrated that, H9c2 cells treated with 12 h hypoxia and 3 h reoxygenation displayed significantly downregulated miR-494 expression levels compared with control cells. Compared with the corresponding negative control (NC) groups, miR-494 mimic reduced H/R-induced cell apoptosis and autophagy, whereas miR-494 inhibitor displayed the opposite effects. Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) was identified as a target gene of miR-494. Furthermore, miR-494 inhibitor-mediated effects on H/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and autophagy were partially reversed by SIRT1 knockdown. Moreover, compared with si-NC, SIRT1 knockdown significantly increased the phosphorylation levels of PI3K, AKT and mTOR in H/R-treated and miR-494 inhibitor-transfected H9c2 cells. Collectively, the results indicated that miR-494 served a protective role against H/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and autophagy by directly targeting SIRT1, suggesting that miR-494 may serve as a novel therapeutic target for myocardial I/R injury.

rAAV9-Mediated MEK1 Gene Expression Restores Post-conditioning Protection Against Ischemia Injury in Hypertrophic Myocardium

PURPOSE

We investigated whether increased expression of activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinases 1 (MEK1) restores ischemic post-conditioning (IPostC) protection in hypertrophic myocardium following ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.

METHODS

C57Bl/6 mice received recombinant adeno-associated virus type 9 (rAAV9)-mediated activated MEK1 gene delivery systemically, then following the induction of cardiac hypertrophy via transverse aortic constriction for 4 weeks. In a Langendorff model, hypertrophic hearts were subjected to 40 min/60 min I/R or with IPostC intervention consisting of 6 cycles of 10 s reperfusion and 10 s no-flow before a 60-min reperfusion. Hemodynamics, infarct size (IS), myocyte apoptosis and changes in expression of reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) pathway were examined.

RESULTS

rAAV9-MEK1 gene delivery led to a 4.3-fold and 2.7-fold increase in MEK1 mRNA and protein expression in the heart versus their control values. I/R resulted in a larger IS in hypertrophic than in non-hypertrophic hearts (52.3 ± 4.7% vs. 40.0 ± 2.5%, P < 0.05). IPostC mediated IS reduction in non-hypertrophic hearts (27.6 ± 2.6%, P < 0.05), while it had no significant effect in hypertrophic hearts (46.5 ± 3.1%, P=NS) compared with the IS in non-hypertrophic or hypertrophic hearts subjected to I/R injury only, respectively. Hemodynamic decline induced by I/R was preserved by IPostC in non-hypertrophic hearts but not in hypertrophic hearts. rAAV9-MEK1 gene delivery restored IPostC protection in hypertrophic hearts evidenced by reduced IS (32.0 ± 2.8% vs. 46.5 ± 3.1%) and cardiac cell apoptosis and largely preserved hemodynamic parameters. These protective effects were associated with significantly increased phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and ribosomal protein S6 kinases (p70S6K), but it had no influence on Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3β.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrated that rAAV9-mediated activated MEK1 expression restores IPostC protection in the hypertrophic heart against I/R injury through the activation of ERK pathway.

Overexpression of IκBα in cardiomyocytes alleviates hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis and autophagy by inhibiting NF-κB activation

Background

Inflammation and oxidative stress play predominant roles in the initiation and progression of ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, with nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) serving as a crucial mediator. Overexpression of the inhibitor of κB alpha (IκBα) gene is hypothesized to have protective effects against apoptosis and autophagy in cardiomyocytes subjected to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway.

Methods

The IκBα^{S32A, S36A} gene was transfected via adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) delivery into neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (NRVMs) prior to H₂O₂ treatment. NRVMs were divided into control, H₂O₂, GFP + H₂O₂, IκBα+H₂O₂, and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) + H₂O₂ groups. Nuclear translocation of the NF-κB p65 subunit was evaluated by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Cell viability was assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Supernatant lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and intracellular malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured to identify H₂O₂-stimulated cytotoxicity. Apoptosis was determined by Annexin V-PE/7-AAD staining, and the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) was detected by JC-1 staining. Western blotting was used to detect apoptosis- and autophagy-related proteins.

Results

IκBα transfection significantly increased cell viability and ΔΨm but decreased the supernatant LDH and cellular MDA levels in cardiomyocytes exposed to H₂O₂. Meanwhile, IκBα overexpression decreased H₂O₂-induced apoptosis by upregulating the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and reduced autophagy by downregulating the expression of Beclin-1 and the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio. These effects partly accounted for the ability of IκBα to inhibit the NF-κB signalling pathway, as evidenced by decreases in p65 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. Indeed, the effects of inactivation of NF-κB signalling with the specific inhibitor PDTC resembled the cardioprotective effects of IκBα during H₂O₂ stimulation.

Conclusion

IκBα overexpression can ameliorate H₂O₂-induced apoptosis, autophagy, oxidative injury, and ΔΨm loss through inhibition of the NF-κB signalling pathway. These findings suggest that IκBα transfection can result in successful resistance to oxidative stress-induced damage by inhibiting NF-κB activation, which may provide a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of myocardial I/R injury.

The cardiotoxicity of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of arsenic and subsequently relieved by zinc supplementation

Waterborne exposure to arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃) is inevitable due to its widespread industrial and agricultural applications. Oxidative stress and cascaded programmed cell death is now hypothesized to be the dominant mechanisms of arseniasis evidenced in vivo and in vitro. This study aimed to explore the interaction of divalent zinc ion (Zn²⁺), an efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger with arsenite in the heart of common carp, and extensively investigated the exact signaling molecules involved. Significant induction of cardiotoxicity including oxidative stress, apoptosis and autophagy was evident in heart tissues following arsenite exposure (P < 0.05). The dissipation of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT) was induced by ROS burst, leading to oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation (MDA). Arsenite induced classic apoptotic hallmarks, characterized by chromatin degradation and subsequent formation of clumps adjacent, and elevated expression of Bax/Bcl-2 and Caspase family, and also increased autophagic flux evidenced by accelerated formation (LC3) and degradation (p62) of autophagosomes. PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was phosphorylated inhibited, while MAPK signaling (p38, ERK and JNK) displayed elevated phosphorylation levels in arsenite-exposed heart tissues. In contrast, above phenomena were effectively inhibited by Zn²⁺, which supplement attenuated arsenite-induced myocardial toxicity through inhibition of apoptosis and autophagy via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, as well as suppressing intracellular ROS cluster via activating antioxidative system via MAPK pathway. Our results provided experimental explanation and evidences for cardiotoxicity of arsenite. Furthermore, our findings hint that the application of zinc preparations may provide a candidate for the prevention and treatment for arsenic poisoning.