Protective effects of Semiaquilegia adoxoides n-butanol extract against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in human lens epithelial cells

AbstractContext Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced damage in the lens epithelium leads to cell death and cataract. Semiaquilegia adoxoides (DC.) Makino (Ranunculaceae), a folk medicine of Hmong (an ethnic group of China), has been traditionally used to treat cataract; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is yet to be uncovered.Objective This study aimed to investigate whether the n-butanol extract of S. adoxoides (nSA) is effective against the H2O2-induced oxidative stress in human lens epithelial (HLE) cells.Materials and methods Human lens epithelial (SRA 01/04) cells were stimulated by H2O2 (250 μM) in the presence or absence of nSA. The antioxidant effects of nSA were determined in terms of cell viability (MTT assay), apoptosis (AnnexinV/PI staining), radical scavenging capability (various enzymatic assays), loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Rhodamine 123 staining), expression of apoptotic markers including caspase-3 and caspase-9 and the change of Bcl-2/Bax ratio (western blot) in the HL...