Abstract
Apoptosis induced by high shear stress has been reported for the dysfunction of various vascular endothelial cells. We investigated the protective effects of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) and salvianolic acid B (SAB) from Chinese medicine on the shear-induced early and late stages of apoptosis in cultured rat cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (rCMECs) under pathological high shear stress. Near-confluent cultures of rCMECs were pretreated with TMP or SAB and their combinational dosages, and exposed to high shear stress generated by a rheometer. Apoptotic death rate of rCMECs was assessed by immunofluorescence microscopy of Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI). We found that early and late stage apoptosis occurred at 3.0 Pa for a short duration of 450 sec but did not occur at 1.5 Pa. SAB inhibited the cells from apoptosis at concentrations from 10 μM to 20 μM in a dose-dependent manner, while effect of TMP at 0.37 mM and 0.73 mM did not significantly differ. Moreover, the combined use of TMP and SAB had synergistic anti-apoptotic effects (P<0.01). The results indicate that the anti-apoptotic effect of TMP and SAB on rheologically induced endothelial injury is likely involved in their efficacy.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 177-187 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 3 |
Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- Physiology
- Hematology
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Physiology (medical)
User-Defined Keywords
- Apoptosis
- Endothelial cells
- Salvianolic acid B (SAB)
- Shear stress
- Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP)