Protective effect of hydrogen against ischemia-reperfusion induced spinal nerve cell apoptosis

Abstract

Background: This study aims to explore the protective effect of hydrogen against oxygen-glucose-serum deprivation/restoration (OGSD/R)-induced PC12 cell apoptosis in vitro and the possible underlying mechanism. Methods: A normal control (NC) group was set where PC12 cells were cultured normal, while a positive control (PC) group, where PC12 cells were exposed to OGSD 12h/R1h without intervention, and a hydrogen intervention (HI) group, where PC12 cells were exposed to OGSD 12h/R1h plus HI, were conducted at the same time. At OGSD 12h/R 1h, cells were DAPI stained to detect viability and changes in the expression of apoptosis-associated proteins caspase-3, caspase-12 and CHOP/GADD153, and the endoplasmic reticulum-related signaling pathway protein PERK-eIF2α-ATF4. At the same time, the effect of HI was observed. Results: The result revealed that compared with NC group, cell apoptosis was more severe and cell viability was reduced significantly in PC group, while cell apoptosis was ameliorated and cell viability was increased significantly in HI as compared with PC group. In addition, the content of caspase-3 and caspase-12 in HI group was decreased significantly as compared with that in PC group. During this process, the endoplasmic reticulum-related signaling pathway protein PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 was activated. In HI group, the expression of this protein was decreased and cell viability was increased significantly as compared with those in PC group. Conclusions: Hydrogen was able to inhibit OGSD/R-induced PC12 cell apoptosis and exert a protective effect against ischemia-repurfusion injury (IRI) to nerve cells, probably through inhibiting the endoplasmic reticulum-related signaling pathway protein.