The effect of ellagic acid on caspase-3/bcl-2/Nrf-2/NF-kB/TNF-α /COX-2 gene expression product apoptosis pathway: a new approach for muscle damage therapy

• Published in: Molecular biology reports 2020-04, Vol.47 (4), p.2573-2582
• Main Authors: Aslan, Abdullah, Beyaz, Seda, Gok, Ozlem, Erman, Orhan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Anatomy; Animal Biochemistry; Animals; Antioxidants - metabolism; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Bcl-2 protein; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbon tetrachloride; Caspase 3 - genetics; Caspase-3; Catalase; Catalase - metabolism; Cyclooxygenase 2 - genetics; Cyclooxygenase-2; Diet; Ellagic acid; Ellagic Acid - metabolism; Ellagic Acid - pharmacology; GA-binding protein; Gene expression; Gene Expression - genetics; Glutathione - metabolism; Glutathione Peroxidase - metabolism; Histology; Life Sciences; Lipid peroxidation; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Male; Malondialdehyde; Morphology; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 - genetics; NF-κB protein; Original Article; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Protein expression; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 - genetics; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Transcriptome - genetics; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - genetics; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Western blotting
• ISSN: 0301-4851; 1573-4978
• DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-05340-7

The goal of this study was to determine the protective role of ellagic acid (EA) against CCl 4 -induced muscle injury in rats. In this study, 36 Wistar albino rats (n = 36, 8 weeks old) were used. The rats were divided into 4 groups and 9 rats were included each group. Groups: (i) control Group: standard diet; (ii) EA Group: standard diet + EA group; (iii) CCl 4 group: standard diet + CCl 4 group; (iv) EA + CCl 4 group: standard diet + EA + CCl 4 . The animals were decapitated after 8 weeks, and their muscle tissues were received and investigated. In the muscle tissue, TNF-α, COX-2, Nrf-2, NF-kB, caspase-3 and bcl-2 expression levels were analyzed by the western blotting technique, lipid peroxidation was detected by MDA (malondialdehyde), and catalase and GSH levels were determined by a spectrophotometer. In our findings, in comparison to the CCl 4 group, in the EA + CCl 4 group, the Nrf-2 and caspase-3 protein expression levels, GSH and catalase activities increased, while the NF-kB, bcl-2, TNF-α and COX-2 protein expression levels and MDA levels decreased. These results suggest that EA reduces muscle tissue damage rate in rats and that EA may also be used as a potential drug to protect against muscle tissue damage in the future. Graphic abstract