Propofol induces nuclear localization of Nrf2 under conditions of oxidative stress in cardiac H9c2 cells

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 13; no. 4; p. e0196191
• Main Authors: Shinjo, Takeaki, Tanaka, Tatsuhide, Okuda, Hiroaki, Kawaguchi, Akira T, Oh-Hashi, Kentaro, Terada, Yuki, Isonishi, Ayami, Morita-Takemura, Shoko, Tatsumi, Kouko, Kawaguchi, Masahiko, Wanaka, Akio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 24-04-2018; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Anesthesiology; Animal models; Antioxidants; Antioxidants (Nutrients); Apoptosis; Biology and life sciences; Cardiomyocytes; Care and treatment; Cell culture; Cell death; Cytotoxicity; Diabetes; Enzymes; Gene expression; Health aspects; Heart; Heart diseases; Hydrogen peroxide; Injuries; Ischemia; Kinases; Localization; Medicine and Health Sciences; mRNA; Myocardial ischemia; Neurosciences; NRF2 protein; Oxidative stress; Propofol; Reperfusion; Rodents; siRNA; Tissues; Transcription factors; Japan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196191

Oxidative stress contributes to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, which causes cardiomyocyte death and precipitate life-threatening heart failure. Propofol has been proposed to protect cells or tissues against oxidative stress. However, the mechanisms underlying its beneficial effects are not fully elucidated. In the present study, we employed an in vitro oxidative injury model, in which rat cardiac H9c2 cells were treated with H2O2, and investigated roles of propofol against oxidative stress. Propofol treatment reduced H2O2-induced apoptotic cell death. While H2O2 induced expression of the antioxidant enzyme HO-1, propofol further increased HO-1 mRNA and protein levels. Propofol also promoted nuclear localization of Nrf2 in the presence of H2O2. Knockdown of Nrf2 using siRNA suppressed propofol-inducible Nrf2 and expression of Nrf2-downstream antioxidant enzyme. Knockdown of Nrf2 suppressed the propofol-induced cytoprotection. In addition, Nrf2 overexpression induced nuclear localization of Nrf2 and HO-1 expression. These results suggest that propofol exerts antioxidative effects by inducing nuclear localization of Nrf2 and expression of its downstream enzyme in cardiac cells. Finally, we examined the effect of propofol on cardiomyocytes using myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury models. The expression level of Nrf2 protein was increased at 15 min after reperfusion in the ischemia-reperfusion and propofol group compared with ischemia-reperfusion group in penumbra region. These results suggest that propofol protects cells or tissues from oxidative stress via Nrf2/HO-1 cascade.