Effect of antioxidant of bamboo leaves on gene expression associated with mouse embryonic fibroblast reproduction and embryonic development

Abstract

Antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB) was certified to be a natural antioxidant by the Chinese Ministry of Health in 2003. However, the effects of AOB on animal reproductive and developmental functions remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different concentrations of AOB on mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells, and to examine the underlying molecular mechanism through which AOB affects the proliferation and apoptosis of MEFs. MEFs prepared from individual embryos were treated with various dosages of AOB. Cell viability and apoptosis were detected by MTT and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses were used for the detection of mRNA and protein expression. Functional annotation of differentially-expressed genes was performed according to the Gene Ontology database and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis. Compared with the control group, ∼50% of MEF cells were inhibited following treatment with a 400 μg/ml concentration of AOB. Treatment with 400 μg/ml AOB for 72 h significantly increased the apoptotic rate of MEF cells compared with the control group. Following treatment with AOB, dehydrogenase/reductase 9, phospho-lipase A2 group IVE and platelet derived growth factor B were downregulated, while 17 other genes were upregulated in MEF cells. Treatment with AOB markedly increased the expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), β-catenin, transcription factor SOX-17,.