Liquiritin from Radix Glycyrrhizae Protects Cardiac Mitochondria from Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Damage.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of liquiritin (LIQ) from Radix Glycyrrhizae on cardiac mitochondria against hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR) injury. METHODS: H9C2 cells were subject to the HR model. LIQ purified from Radix Glycyrrhizae (purity > 95%) was administrated to reoxygenation period. Cell viability, mitochondrial mass, mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species, and mitochondrial Ca2⁺ level were then assessed by using Cell Counting kit-8 and suitable fluorescence probe kits. RESULTS: LIQ administration remarkably reduced the rate of HR damage via increasing H9C2 cell viability level and preserving mitochondria after HR. Particularly, 60 µM of LIQ posthypoxic treatment markedly reduced cell death in HR-subjected H9C2 cell groups (p < 0.05). Interestingly, posthypoxic treatment of LIQ significantly prevented the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, the decrease in mitochondrial mass, the increase in reactive oxygen species production, and the elevation of mitochondrial Ca2⁺ level in HR-treated H9C2 cells. CONCLUSION: The present study provides for the first time the cardioprotective of LIQ posthypoxic treatment via reducing H9C2 cell death and protecting cardiac mitochondria against HR damage.

Majonoside-R2 extracted from Vietnamese ginseng protects H9C2 cells against hypoxia/reoxygenation injury via modulating mitochondrial function and biogenesis.

Vietnamese ginseng has a therapeutic effect on various diseases; however its bioactivity against cardiac hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR) injury remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the protective roles of total saponin extract (TSE) and majonoside-R2 (MR2) targeting mitochondria in HR-induced rat cardiomyocyte H9C2 cells. The results showed that both TSE and MR2 effectively protected the cells from HR damage. Particularly, 9 µM of MR2 significantly increased the viability of HR-induced cells (p < 0.05). Interestingly, MR2 treatment markedly prevented the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and cardiolipin content, and an increase in reactive oxygen species production in HR-treated H9C2 cells. Moreover, MR2 treatment altered the mRNA expression of genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis under HR conditions. The present study documented for the first time the cardioprotective effects of MR2 against HR injury by maintaining mitochondrial function and modulating mitochondrial biogenesis.

Structure of the Ni(II) complex of Escherichia coli peptide deformylase and suggestions on deformylase activities depending on different metal(II) centres.

Crystal structures of polypeptide deformylase (PDF) of Escherichia coli with nickel(II) replacing the native iron(II) have been solved with chloride and formate as metal ligands. The chloro complex is a model for the correct protonation state of the hydrolytic hydroxo ligand and the protonated status of the Glu133 side chain as part of the hydrolytic mechanism. The ambiguity that recently some PDFs have been identified with Zn(2+) ion as the active-site centre whereas others are only active with Fe(2+) (or Co(2+), Ni(2+) is discussed with respect to Lewis acid criteria of the metal ion and substrate activation by the CD loop.