Comparison of the degree of autophagy in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and H9c2 cells exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation.

Abstract Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) is an important in vitro model for exploring the molecular mechanisms and functions of autophagy during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCM) and H9c2 cells are widely used to study H/R. The degree of autophagy in NRCM and H9c2 cells exposed to H/R was assessed by detecting the markers of autophagy, Beclin-1 and LC3II. Autophagosomes were confirmed in both NRCM and H9c2 cells exposed to H/R using MDC staining and TEM. The expression levels of Beclin-1 and LC3II were significantly increased in NRCM under H/R conditions (p