Apoptosis effects of matrines on angiotensin II-induced mouse cardiac fibroblasts

To investigate the apoptosis effects of matrine on angiotensin II-induced mouse cardiac fibroblasts. Cardiac fibroblasts of mice were cultured and cell count, morpholo-gy of apoptosis cells were studied by fluorescence microscope with PI/Hoechst 33342 doulbe stai-ning. Cell cycle phases, apoptosis ratio of angiotensin II-induced nouse cardiac fibroblasts by ma-trine treatment and expression of the apoptosis-related gene Bcl-2 and Bax were observed by FCM. Chemiluminescence Western blotting analysis of total cell extracts was used to detect Caspase-3 expression. Treatment of angiotensin II-induced mouse cardiac fibroblasts with concentrations of 1～4 mmol.L~(-1) matrine for 24 hours revealed that the apoptosis ratio was in-creased gradually as the concentration was increased(P<0.05). PI/Hoechst 33342 double stai-ning could distinguish apoptosis cells from normal cells. Typical apoptosis features of cells were observed under fluorescence microscope in 3.0 mmol.L~(-1) matrine +angiotensin II group and the features were more prominent as the concentration was increased. Matrine also affected cell cycle obviously, mainly causing to increase the number of cells in G_(1) phase(P<0.05) and to decrease in S phase(P<0.05). Exprssion of the apoptosis-suppression gene Bcl-2 was reduced (P<0.05), whiled expression of the apoptosis-induction gene Bax was enhanced, and the effects was dose-dependent(P<0.05). At the same time activity of Caspase-3 was induced. The effects of matrine on apoptosis of angiotensin II-induced mouse cardiac fibroblasts is dose-depend-ent and it might be mediated by the changes in the expression of the apoptosis-related gene Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3.