BackgroundEpigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCg) with its potent anti-oxidative capabilities is known for its beneficial effects ameliorating oxidative injury to cardiac cells. Although studies have provided convincing evidence to support the cardioprotective effects of EGCg, it remains unclear whether EGCg affect trans-membrane signalling in cardiac cells. Here, we have demonstrated the potential mechanism for cardioprotection of EGCg against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts.ResultsExposing H9c2 cells to H2O2 suppressed cell viability and altered the expression of adherens and gap junction proteins with increased levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and cytosolic Ca2+. These detrimental effects were attenuated by pre-treating cells with EGCg for 30 min. EGCg also attenuated H2O2-mediated cell cycle arrest at the G1-S phase through the glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β)/β-catenin/cyclin D1 signalling pathway. To determine how EGCg targets H9c2 cells, enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) was ectopically expressed in these cells. EGFP-emission fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that EGCg induced dose-dependent fluorescence changes in EGFP expressing cells, suggesting that EGCg signalling events might trigger proximity changes of EGFP expressed in these cells.Proteomics studies showed that EGFP formed complexes with the 67 kD laminin receptor, caveolin-1 and -3, β-actin, myosin 9, vimentin in EGFP expressing cells. Using in vitro oxidative stress and in vivo myocardial ischemia models, we also demonstrated the involvement of caveolin in EGCg-mediated cardioprotection. In addition, EGCg-mediated caveolin-1 activation was found to be modulated by Akt/GSK-3β signalling in H2O2-induced H9c2 cell injury.ConclusionsOur data suggest that caveolin serves as a membrane raft that may help mediate cardioprotective EGCg transmembrane signalling.

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. An improved understanding of the mechanisms involved in myocardial injury would allow intervention downstream in the pathway where certain drugs including natural products could be efficiently applied to target the end effectors of the cell death pathway. Green tea polyphenols (GTPs) have potent anti-oxidative capabilities, which may account for their beneficial effects in preventing oxidative stress associated with ischemia injury. Although studies have provided convincing evidence to support the protective effects of GTPs in cardiovascular system, the potential end effectors that mediate cardiac protection are only beginning to be addressed. Proteomics analyses widely used to identify the protein targets for many cardiovascular diseases have advanced the discovery of the signaling mechanism for GTPs-mediated cardio-protection. This review focuses on putative triggers, mediators, and end effectors for the GTPs-mediated cardio-protection signaling pathways engaged in myocardial ischemia crisis, allowing a promising natural product to be used for ameliorating oxidative stress associated with ischemic heart diseases.

BackgroundEpigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been documented for its beneficial effects protecting oxidative stress to cardiac cells. Previously, we have shown the EGCG-mediated cardiac protection by attenuating reactive oxygen species and cytosolic Ca2+ in cardiac cells during oxidative stress and myocardial ischemia. Here, we aimed to seek a deeper elucidation of the molecular anti-oxidative capabilities of EGCG in an H2O2-induced oxidative stress model of myocardial ischemia injury using H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts.ResultsProteomics analysis was used to determine the differential expression of proteins in H9c2 cells cultured in the conditions of control, 400 μM H2O2 exposure for 30 min with and/or without 10 to 20 μM EGCG pre-treatment. In this model, eight proteins associated with energy metabolism, mitochondrial electron transfer, redox regulation, signal transduction, and RNA binding were identified to take part in EGCG-ameliorating H2O2-induced injury in H9c2 cells. H2O2 exposure increased oxidative stress evidenced by increases in reactive oxygen species and cytosolic Ca2+ overload, increases in glycolytic protein, α-enolase, decreases in antioxidant protein, peroxiredoxin-4, as well as decreases in mitochondrial proteins, including aldehyde dehydrogenase-2, ornithine aminotransferase, and succinate dehydrogenase ubiquinone flavoprotein subunit. All of these effects were reversed by EGCG pre-treatment. In addition, EGCG attenuated the H2O2-induced increases of Type II inositol 3, 4-bisphosphate 4-phosphatase and relieved its subsequent inhibition of the downstream signalling for Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β)/cyclin D1 in H9c2 cells. Pre-treatment with EGCG or GSK-3β inhibitor (SB 216763) significantly improved the H2O2-induced suppression on cell viability, phosphorylation of pAkt (S473) and pGSK-3β (S9), and level of cyclin D1 in cells.ConclusionsCollectively, these findings suggest that EGCG blunts the H2O2-induced oxidative effect on the Akt activity through the modulation of PIP3 synthesis leading to the subsequent inactivation of GSK-3β mediated cardiac cell injury.

The MfCUT1 gene encoding the major cutinase of Monilinia fructicola, a causal agent of blossom blight and fruit rot of stone fruits, is a virulence factor of the pathogen. The pathogen remains quiescent on stage II fruit, which contain high levels of chlorogenic acid, a quinate ester of caffeic acid (CA). A medium shift system was established to show that MfCUT1 expression is down-regulated by CA, consistent with previous findings in continuous culture, and by the antioxidants glutathione (GSH), N-acetyl-L-cysteine and ascorbic acid. However, MfCUT1 expression is up-regulated by the superoxide-generating oxidant menadione and by the GSH synthesis inhibitor buthionine sulphoximine (BSO). The changes in MfCUT1 transcript levels induced by CA or BSO are related to the levels of intracellular GSH and H 2 O 2 . In addition, GSH reductase activity was increased by CA. Monilinia fructicola genes encoding enzymes that may contribute to redox homeostasis (GSH reductase and GSH peroxidase) were cloned and their expression was found to be slightly affected following exposure of cultures to CA. The hybrid tea rose cv. Flaming Peace was identified as an alternative host to complement pathogenicity assays of M. fructicola on stone fruits, which are seasonally restricted. Pathogenicity assays on detached peach fruit and rose petals revealed that CA suppresses and H 2 O 2 enhances formation of brown rot lesions. The results indicate that changes in cellular redox status impact MfCUT1 expression and virulence in M. fructicola, and suggest that redox cycling of GSH is related to this regulation.

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