Effect of sodium ferulate on the expression of NF-κB and IκBα in rat brain microvascular endothelial cells injured by hypoxia

Objective To study the effect of sodium ferulate (SF) on the expressions of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and inhibitory κBα (IκBα) in rat brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) injured by hypoxia. Methods Brain microvascular endothelial cells from Wistar rat cerebral cortex were isolated and cultured, and then cultivated in 95%N_2 and 5% CO_2 for 12 h to induce hypoxia injury. The cells were divided into normal group, hypoxia group, and SF group. BMEC activity was assayed by MTT assay. Endothelin-1(ET-1) concentration was evaluated by radioimmunoassay.The expression of NF-κB and IκBα of BMEC were assessed by immunocytochemistry. Results The content of ET-1 in BMEC media was increased after hypoxia, while sodium ferulate (100 μg/ml) significantly decreased the content compared with hypoxia group. Immunocytochemistry indicated IκBα expression were significantly decreased in hypoxia BMEC in consistent with NF-κB expression. Conclusion Sodium ferulate may significantly reduce NF-κB of hypoxia BMEC and nuclear translocation, and increase IκBα expression and BMEC activity. It is a potent inhibitor of NF-κB in endothelial cells, which might explain its beneficial effect on injured BMEC by hypoxia.