Swertiamarin attenuates paraquat-induced pulmonary epithelial-like cell apoptosis via NOX4-mediated regulation of redox and mitochondrial function

Authors

Keywords:

Swertiamarin;, Alveolar epithelial cells;, Paraquat;, siRNA;, NOX4

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of swertiamarin (STM) in attenuating paraquat (PQ)-induced human lung alveolar epithelial-like cell (A549) apoptosis and the underlying mechanisms. A549 cells were pretreated with different concentrations of STM for 2 hr and then cultured with or without PQ (700 μM) for 24 hr. Cell survival was determined using the CCK8 assay. Morphological changes, MDA content, inflammatory factors, fibrogenesis parameters, apoptosis rates, redox status and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were evaluated. The expression of several genes involved in the modulation of redox status was measured by Western blotting. Cell viability and MMP were decreased, but the apoptosis rate and DCFH oxidation were elevated by PQ exposure. STM pretreatment notably increased cell viability and MMP and reduced the apoptosis rate and DCFH oxidation. Furthermore, TLR4- NOX4 signaling was significantly inhibited by STM. The downregulation of NOX4 by siRNA exerted the same protective effects as STM. This study provides the first evidence that STM attenuates PQ-induced pulmonary epithelial-like cell apoptosis via NOX4-mediated regulation of redox and mitochondrial function.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Ji Wu, Wuhan College
     This author contributed equally to this work.  
  • Yong Li, Department of Pharmacy
     This author contributed equally to this work.  

References

Alizadeh-Tabrizi N, Malekinejad H, Varasteh S, Cheraghi H. Atorvastatin protected from paraquat-induced cytotoxicity in alveolar macrophages via down-regulation of TLR-4. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2017;49:8-13.

Blanco-Ayala T, Andérica-Romero AC, Pedraza-Chaverri J. New insights into antioxidant strategies against paraquat toxicity. Free Radic Res. 2014;48(6):623-640.

Chen H, Song Z, Ying S, Yang X, Wu W, Tan Q, et al. Myeloid differentiation protein 2 induced retinal ischemia reperfusion injury via upregulation of ROS through a TLR4- NOX4 pathway. Toxicol Lett. 2018;282:109-120.

Chen J, Liu J, Lei Y, Liu M. The anti-inflammation, anti- oxidative and anti-fibrosis properties of swertiamarin in cigarette smoke exposure-induced prostate dysfunction in rats. Aging (Albany NY). 2019;11(22):10409-10421.

Cui S, Nian Q, Chen G, Wang X, Zhang J, Qiu J, et al. Ghrelin ameliorates A549 cell apoptosis caused by paraquat via p38-MAPK regulated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Toxicology. 2019;426:152267.

Du JJ, Sun JC, Li N, Li XQ, Sun WY, Wei W. β-Arrestin2 deficiency attenuates oxidative stress in mouse hepatic fibrosis through modulation of NOX4. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2021;42(7):1090-1100.

Gao F, Zhang Y, Yang Z, Wang M, Zhou Z, Zhang W, et al. Arctigenin Suppressed Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Through Wnt3a/β-Catenin Pathway in PQ-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:584098.

Gawarammana IB, Buckley NA. Medical management of paraquat ingestion. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2011;72(5):745-757.

He Y, Zou L, Zhou Y, Hu H, Yao R, Jiang Y, et al. Adiponectin ameliorates the apoptotic effects of paraquat on alveolar type Ⅱ cells via improvements in mitochondrial function. Mol Med Rep. 2016;14(1):746-752.

Kalyanaraman B, Darley-Usmar V, Davies KJ, Dennery PA, Forman HJ, Grisham MB, et al. Measuring reactive oxygen and nitrogen species with fluorescent probes: challenges and limitations. Free Radic Biol Med. 2012;52(1):1-6.

Li S, Wang Q, Tao Y, Liu C. Swertiamarin Attenuates Experimental Rat Hepatic Fibrosis by Suppressing Angiotensin II-Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor-Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Signaling. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2016;359(2):247-255.

Liu Q, Zheng B, Zhang Y, Huang W, Hong Q, Meng Y. Alamandine via MrgD receptor attenuates pulmonary fibrosis via NOX4 and autophagy pathway. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2021;99(9):885-893.

Liu K, Zhan Z, Gao W, Feng J, Xie X. Cyclosporine attenuates Paraquat-induced mitophagy and pulmonary fibrosis. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2020;42(2):138-146.

Liu W, Shan LP, Dong XS, Liu Z. Toll-like receptor 4 implicated in acute lung injury induced by paraquat poisoning in mice. Int J Clin Exp Med. 2014;7(10):3392-3397.

Li ZM, Xu SY, Feng YZ, Cheng YR, Xiong JB, Zhou Y, et al. The role of NOX4 in pulmonary diseases. J Cell Physiol. 2021;236(3):1628-1637.

Loveman E, Copley VR, Colquitt JL, Scott DA, Clegg AJ, Jones J, et al. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: systematic review, network meta-analysis and health economic evaluation. BMC Pharmacol Toxicol. 2014;15:63.

Novaes RD, Gonçalves RV, Cupertino MC, Santos EC, Bigonha SM, Fernandes GJ, et al. Acute paraquat exposure determines dose-dependent oxidative injury of multiple organs and metabolic dysfunction in rats: impact on exercise tolerance. Int J Exp Pathol. 2016;97(2):114-124.

Park HS, Jung HY, Park EY, Kim J, Lee WJ, Bae YS. Cutting edge: direct interaction of TLR4 with NAD(P)H oxidase 4 isozyme is essential for lipopolysaccharide-induced production of reactive oxygen species and activation of NF- kappa B. J Immunol. 2004;173(6):3589-3593.

Pourgholamhossein F, Rasooli R, Pournamdari M, Pourgholi L, Samareh-Fekri M, Ghazi-Khansari M, et al. Pirfenidone protects against paraquat-induced lung injury and fibrosis in mice by modulation of inflammation, oxidative stress, and gene expression. Food Chem Toxicol. 2018;112:39-46.

Ryan KA, Smith MF Jr, Sanders MK, Ernst PB. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species differentially regulate Toll-like receptor 4-mediated activation of NF-kappa B and interleukin-8 expression. Infect Immun. 2004;72(4):2123-2130.

Saravanan S, Pandikumar P, Prakash Babu N, Hairul Islam VI, Thirugnanasambantham K, Gabriel Paulraj M, et al. In vivo and in vitro immunomodulatory potential of swertiamarin isolated from Enicostema axillare (Lam.) A. Raynal that acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. Inflammation. 2014;37(5):1374-1388.

Sato N, Takasaka N, Yoshida M, Tsubouchi K, Minagawa S, Araya J, et al. Metformin attenuates lung fibrosis development via NOX4 suppression. Respir Res. 2016;17(1):107.

Shen H, Wu N, Liu Z, Zhao H, Zhao M. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate alleviates paraquat-induced acute lung injury and inhibits upregulation of toll-like receptors. Life Sci. 2017;170:25-32.

Sies H, Belousov VV, Chandel NS, Davies MJ, Jones DP, Mann GE, et al. Defining roles of specific reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cell biology and physiology. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2022;23(7):499-515.

Sun DZ, Song CQ, Xu YM, Wang R, Liu W, Liu Z, et al. Involvement of PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy in paraquat- induced apoptosis in human lung epithelial-like A549 cells. Toxicol In Vitro. 2018;53:148-159.

Tarafdar A, Pula G. The Role of NADPH Oxidases and Oxidative Stress in Neurodegenerative Disorders. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19(12):3824.

Wu T, Li J, Li Y, Song H. Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Effect of Swertiamarin on Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatotoxicity via the Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway. Cell Physiol Biochem. 2017;41(6):2242-2254.

Wu T, Zhang Q, Song H. Swertiamarin attenuates carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury and inflammation in rats by regulating the TLR4 signaling pathway. Braz J Pharm Sci. 2018;54(4):e17449.

Wynn TA. Common and unique mechanisms regulate fibrosis in various fibroproliferative diseases. J Clin Invest. 2007;117(3):524-529.

Zhang Q, Chen K, Wu T, Song H. Swertiamarin ameliorates carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic apoptosis via blocking the PI3K/Akt pathway in rats. Korean J Physiol Pharmacol. 2019;23(1):21-28.

Downloads

Published

2023-08-28

Issue

Section

Article

How to Cite

Swertiamarin attenuates paraquat-induced pulmonary epithelial-like cell apoptosis via NOX4-mediated regulation of redox and mitochondrial function. (2023). Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 59, 12. https://revistas.usp.br/bjps/article/view/219709