Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Attenuates Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Damage on Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

Abstract

Oxidative stress of endothelial cells is thought to be a principal cause that induces many cardiovascular diseases. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is a major active component in traditional Chinese medicine safflower and has been used to cure ischemic cardiovascular diseases in China for many years. This study aims to investigate whether HSYA has a repairing effect on oxidative damage of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) induced by H2O2 and to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of cardiovascular diseases related to traditional Chinese medicine. Based on the establishment of an H2O2-induced HUVEC oxidative injury model, the cell viability and proliferation rate were measured by the MTT assay and EdU staining. The intracellular GSH/GSSG ratio and SOD activity were determined by kits. The ROS level was detected by flow cytometry. And the BAX, Bcl-2, PTEN, and AKT expressions were evaluated with western blotting methods. The results showed that HSYA treatment significantly attenuated the H2O2-induced HUVEC cell damage, increased the intracellular GSH/GSSG ratio and unit SOD activity also, and decreased the intracellular ROS levels. Furthermore, HSYA increased the expressions of AKT and Bcl-2 proteins and inhibited the expressions of BAX and PTEN proteins. These suggest that HSYA exerts repair effects on H2O2-induced oxidative damage in HUVECs, and the mechanisms may be related to the influence of BAX/Bcl-2 expression and AKT/PTEN signal pathway expression.