Steroidal Saponin Diosgenin from Dioscorea bulbifera Protects Cardiac Cells from Hypoxia-reoxygenation Injury Through Modulation of Pro-survival and Pro-death Molecules.

BACKGROUND

Diosgenin, a steroidal saponin from plants, exhibits many biological potentials. Herein, the cardioprotective role of diosgenin is studied.

METHODS

The effect of diosgenin, isolated from Dioscorea bulbifera, was studied on hypoxia-reoxygenation (HR) in H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells. The amount of diosgenin in the plant extract was analyzed by high-performance thin layer chromatography using a solvent system comprising of chloroform:methanol:acetic acid:formic acid (13:4.5:1.5:1). Cardioprotection was checked by (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Further, the release of lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme released during cell death was checked. The proteins responsible for cell death (Bax) and cell survival (Bcl-2, hemeoxygenase-1 and Akt) were analyzed using Western blot to check the cardioprotective role of diosgenin.

CONCLUSIONS

Supplementation of diosgenin mitigates HR injury, thereby exhibiting cardioprotective potential.

CONCLUSIONS

The cardioprotective effect of Diosgenin was evidenced from the improved cell survival after hypoxia-reoxygenation injury demonstrated through MTT cell survival assay.The release of lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme released during cell death was decreased by Diosgenin.Diosgenin upregulated the pro-survival molecules like B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), heme oxygenase-1 and the phosphorylation of ATK (at serine 473); and at the same time pro-.death molecules like Bax was downregulated.Thus, Diosgenin as a plant based steroidal saponin is confirmed to mitigate ischemic reperfusion injury. Figure.