Cerebral Cortex Apoptosis in Early Aged Hypertension: Effects of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate

• Published in: Frontiers in aging neuroscience Vol. 13; p. 705304
• Main Authors: Hsieh, Min-Huang, Cui, Zhen-Yang, Yang, Ai-Lun, Nhu, Nguyen Thanh, Ting, Shih-Ying, Yu, Shao-Hong, Cheng, Yu-Jung, Lin, Yi-Yuan, Wu, Xu-Bo, Lee, Shin-Da
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Frontiers Research Foundation 12.08.2021; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: 1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; 14-3-3 protein; AKT protein; Apaf-1 protein; Apoptosis; Apoptosis-inducing factor; Bcl-2 protein; Bcl-x protein; Blood pressure; Brain; Caspase-3; Caspase-8; Caspase-9; caspase-independent apoptosis; Cerebral cortex; Cytochrome; Cytochrome c; EGCG; Endonuclease; Epigallocatechin gallate; FADD protein; FasL protein; Flavonoids; Green tea; Hypertension; Mitochondria; neural apoptosis; neural survival; Neurodegeneration; Neuroscience; Phosphorylation; Proteins; SIRT1 protein; Western blotting; United States > US; Taiwan
• ISSN: 1663-4365; 1663-4365
• DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.705304

This study aimed to investigate cerebral cortex apoptosis on the early aged hypertension and the effects of green tea flavonoid epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Twenty-four rats were divided into three groups: a control Wistar-Kyoto group (WKY, n = 8), a spontaneously early aged hypertensive group (SHR, n = 8), and an early aged hypertension with EGCG treatment group (SHR-EGCG, n = 8; daily oral EGCG 200 mg/kg—94%, 12 weeks). At 48 weeks old, blood pressures (BPs) were evaluated and cerebral cortexes were isolated for TUNEL assay and Western blotting. Systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure levels in the SHR-EGCG were reduced compared to the SHR. The percentage of neural cell deaths, the levels of cytosolic Endonuclease G, cytosolic AIF (Caspase-independent apoptotic pathway), Fas, Fas Ligand, FADD, Caspase-8 (Fas-mediated apoptotic pathway), t-Bid, Bax/Bcl-2, Bak/Bcl-xL, cytosolic Cytochrome C, Apaf-1, Caspase-9 (Mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic pathway), and Caspase-3 (Fas-mediated and Mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathways) were increased in the SHR relative to WKY and reduced in SHR-EGCG relative to SHR. In contrast, the levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, p-Bad, 14-3-3, Bcl-2/Bax, Bcl-xL/Bak, and p-Bad/Bad (Bcl-2 family-related pro-survival pathway), as well as Sirt1, p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT (Sirt1/PI3K/AKT-related pro-survival pathway), were reduced in SHR relative WKY and enhanced in SHR-EGCG relative to SHR. In conclusion, green tea flavonoid epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) might prevent neural apoptotic pathways and activate neural survival pathways, providing therapeutic effects on early aged hypertension-induced neural apoptosis.