Cardioprotective effects of melatonin against myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury: Activation of AMPK/Nrf2 pathway.

Abstract

Although reperfusion is the most effective therapy for patients with acute myocardial infarction, reperfusion injury limits the therapeutic effects of early reperfusion. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Melatonin, a circulating hormone, is well-known as an antioxidant in cardiovascular diseases. In this short communication, we show that melatonin significantly improves post-ischaemic cardiac function, reduces infarct size and decreases oxidative stress. Furthermore, melatonin markedly increases AMPK activation and Nrf2 nuclear translocation. Nevertheless, these melatonin-induced changes are abrogated by compound C. In addition, ML-385, an Nrf2 inhibitor, also withdraws the antioxidative effects of melatonin but has little effect on AMPK activation. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that melatonin alleviates myocardial I/R injury by inhibiting oxidative stress via the AMPK/Nrf2 signalling pathway.

• Authors: Chennian Xu, Jian Wang, Zhenge Fan, Shuang Zhang, Rui Qiao, Yu Liu, Jian Yang, Lifang Yang, Huishan Wang
• Journal: Journal of cellular and molecular medicine (J Cell Mol Med) (Jun 14 2021) ISSN: 1582-4934 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 34128312 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.