Hepatoprotective effect and antioxidant activities of rutin against hydrogen peroxide -induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells

抄録

BACKGROUND
Rutin is a citrus flavonoid containing flavonol quercetin and disaccharide rutinose. This compound is found in a wide variety of plants including citrus fruit. It has been reported to exhibit many pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, and antitumor activities. In this study, we evaluated the hepatoprotective effects and antioxidants activities of rutin against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells.
METHODS
HepG2 cells were treated with various concentrations of rutin (1-100 µM) for 3, 6 or 12 h prior to incubation with 500 µM of H₂O₂ for 24 h. Cell viability and ROS generation were assessed by MTT and DCFH-DA assays, respectively. Oxidative defense mechanisms were investigated by measuring glutathione levels and activities of antioxidant enzymes.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results showed that rutin at concentrations of 1-100 µM significantly improved cell viability and prevented ROS generation induced by H₂O₂ in HepG2 cells. The compound increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, GPx, GR and SOD), total GSH, GSH and the GSH/GSSG ratio, but decreased GSSG. Thus, this study demonstrated that rutin possessed hepatoprotective effect against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. Attenuation of ROS production, modulation of GSH level and activation of antioxidant enzymes including CAT, GPx, GR and SOD could contribute to this effect.