RESUMO
Increased plasma levels of homocysteine (Hcy) can cause severe damage to vascular endothelial cells. Hcyinduced endothelial cell dysfunction contributes to the occurrence and development of human cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs). Our previous studies have revealed that astaxanthin (ATX) exhibits novel cardioprotective activity against Hcyinduced cardiotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. However, the protective effect and mechanism of ATX against Hcyinduced endothelial cell dysfunction requires further investigation. In the present study, treatment of human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) with Hcy inhibited the migration, invasive and tube formation potentials of these cells in a dosedependent manner. Hcy treatment further induced a timedependent increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and downregulated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), phosphorylated (p)TyrVEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and pTyr397focal adhesion kinase (FAK). On the contrary, ATX pretreatment significantly inhibited Hcyinduced cytotoxicity and increased HUVEC migration, invasion and tube formation following Hcy treatment. The mechanism of action may involve the effective inhibition of Hcyinduced ROS generation and the recovery of FAK phosphorylation. Collectively, our findings suggested that ATX could inhibit Hcyinduced endothelial dysfunction by suppressing Hcyinduced activation of the VEGFVEGFR2FAK signaling axis, which indicates the novel therapeutic potential of ATX in treating Hcymediated CVD.