Protective effects of muscone on ischemia-reperfusion injury in cardiac myocytes.

Abstract

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:

Musk has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine as the main ingredient of many formulations for the treatment of chest pain and angina pectoris.

AIM OF THE STUDY:

To investigate the protective effects of muscone (the active ingredient of musk) on ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury induced by hypoxia and low glucose in primary cultured rat cardiac myocytes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiac myocytes were subjected to ischemia-reperfusion in media, with or without muscone. Cell viability, release of lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, creatine kinase (CK) and caspase-3 activities, as well as intracellular free Ca(2+) concentrations, were measured. Cellular apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were assessed by flow cytometry, and the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins was assessed by Western blotting.

RESULTS:

Following the exposure of cardiac myocytes to ischemia-reperfusion, there was a marked decrease in pulsating frequency, cell viability, SOD activity, MMP, and the expression of Bcl-2 protein, accompanied by increased LDH release, MDA production, CK and caspase-3 activities, intracellular free Ca(2+) concentrations, rate of apoptosis, and expression of Bax protein. Pretreatment with muscone (0.215, 0.43, 0.86 μg/mL) prior to I/R injury significantly attenuated the above changes.

CONCLUSION:

Muscone has a protective effect against I/R injury in cardiac myocytes, indicating that muscone may potentially provide therapeutic benefit in I/R injury by inhibiting cellular oxidative stress and apoptosis.

• Authors: Qibiao Wu, Haitao Li, Ye Wu, Weixing Shen, Li Zeng, Haibo Cheng, Ling He
• Journal: Journal of ethnopharmacology (J Ethnopharmacol) Vol. 138 Issue 1 Pg. 34-9 (Oct 31 2011) ISSN: 1872-7573 [Electronic] Ireland
• PMID: 21856397 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antioxidants
• Cycloparaffins
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
• bcl-2-Associated X Protein
• Malondialdehyde
• L-Lactate Dehydrogenase
• Superoxide Dismutase
• Creatine Kinase
• Caspase 3
• Calcium
• muscone

Topics

• Animals
• Antioxidants (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Artiodactyla
• Calcium (metabolism)
• Caspase 3 (metabolism)
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Cells, Cultured
• Creatine Kinase (metabolism)
• Cycloparaffins (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• L-Lactate Dehydrogenase (metabolism)
• Malondialdehyde (metabolism)
• Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial (drug effects)
• Myocardial Reperfusion Injury (metabolism, prevention & control)
• Myocardium (cytology, metabolism)
• Myocytes, Cardiac (drug effects, metabolism)
• Oxidative Stress (drug effects)
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 (metabolism)
• Rats
• Rats, Wistar
• Superoxide Dismutase (metabolism)
• bcl-2-Associated X Protein (metabolism)