Journal Article

Salvianolic Acid Alleviated Blood–Brain Barrier Permeability in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats by Inhibiting Apoptosis in Pericytes via P53 and the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK Pathway

Han, Ruiqin, Zhang, Honggang, Xiu, Ruijuan, Li, Bingwei, Wu, Qingbin, Yuan, Xiaochen

2020

Overview

To investigate the effect of salvianolic acid A (SA) on the permeability of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and brain microvascular pericyte apoptosis in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Evans Blue was used to determine the BBB permeability in control rats and SHR. Western blotting was used to evaluate the expression levels of relevant proteins in the pericytes isolated from the differentially treated animals. An in vitro model of hypertension was established by stimulating pericytes with angiopoietin-2 (Ang2). MTT assay was used to assess cell viability, and apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were analyzed by flow cytometry. SA attenuated BBB permeability in SHR in a dose-dependent manner. It downregulated pro-apoptotic proteins including p53, p21, Fas, FasL, cleaved-caspase 3/caspase 3 and Bax in the pericytes of SHR and upregulated CDK6, cyclin D1, CDK2, cyclin E and Bcl2. In addition, SA activated the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway in a dose-dependent manner by increasing the levels of Ras, Raf, p-MEK1, p-MEK2, p-ERK1 and p-ERK2. Finally, SA reduced Ang2-induced apoptosis of cerebral microvessels pericytes and decreased the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle by inhibiting the p53 pathway and activating the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway. SA reduced BBB permeability in spontaneously hypertensive rats, possibly by inhibiting Ang2-induced apoptosis of pericytes by activating the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway.

• Publisher: Dove Medical Press Limited,Taylor & Francis Ltd,Dove Press,Dove,Dove Medical Press
• Subject: Acids / Alkenes - chemistry / Alkenes - pharmacology / Alzheimer's disease / Angiopoietin / Animals / Apoptosis / Apoptosis - drug effects / BAX protein / Blood pressure / Blood-brain barrier / Blood-Brain Barrier - drug effects / Blood-Brain Barrier - metabolism / Brain / Brain diseases / Caspase-3 / Cell cycle / Cell viability / Cells, Cultured / Cyclin D1 / Cyclin E / Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 / Dose-Response Relationship, Drug / Extracellular signal-regulated kinase / FasL protein / Flow cytometry / G1 phase / Hypertension / Laboratory animals / MAP Kinase Signaling System - drug effects / Membrane permeability / Metabolic pathways / Microvasculature / Molecular Structure / Original Research / p53 Protein / Pericytes / Pericytes - drug effects / Pericytes - metabolism / Permeability / Permeability - drug effects / Polyphenols - chemistry / Polyphenols - pharmacology / Proteins / Rats / Rats, Inbred SHR / Rats, Wistar / Rodents / salvianolic acid A / Statistical analysis / Structure-Activity Relationship / Tumor proteins / Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - metabolism / Western blotting