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Dietary flavonoids protect human brain microvascular endothelial cell from oxidative stress-induced dysfunction

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Abstract

Background

The BBB plays a crucial role in the development of numerous neurological diseases and is especially vulnerable to oxidative stress. Human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), the principal constituents of the BBB, significantly contribute to its formation and preservation. Increasing evidence indicates a potential inverse correlation between the consumption of dietary flavonoids and cardiovascular risk, which could be attributed to their antioxidative properties.

Objective

To explore the impact of four prevalent and abundant flavonoids on HBMECs within a microenvironment characterized by oxidative stress.

Results

Quercetin, apigenin, and genistein notably mitigated the adverse effects of H2O2-induced dysfunctions observed in various HBMEC events, including capillary network differentiation, growth, and survival. Moreover, these compounds reversed the oxidative stress provoked by H2O2, alongside reducing oxidative damage to lipids and DNA. Conversely, myricetin failed to reverse the H2O2-induced oxidative stress and did not exhibit any protective effects on HBMEC. Intriguingly, quercetin and apigenin elevated NRF2 and NQO1 levels in HBMEC, while genistein did not have the same effect.

Conclusions

Our research offers preclinical evidence indicating that certain flavonoids exhibit antioxidant effects, effectively reducing the dysfunction induced by oxidative stress in brain endothelial cells. This underscores the beneficial impact of flavonoids on the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Additionally, our findings propose potential strategies utilizing flavonoids for the treatment of neurological diseases.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a research grant provided by the National Natural Science Funds of China (No. 81603095). We express our gratitude to Dr. Emily Johnson for her invaluable assistance in language editing and proofreading.

Funding

This work was supported by a research grant provided by the National Natural Science Funds of China (No. 81603095).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Hubei Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Wuhan, China

    Qian Tan, **aoqiong Yan, Lizhu Chen, Kun Jiang & Zhenli Guo

  2. Department of Neurology, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, 11 Lingjiaohu Road, Wuhan, 430015, Hubei, China

    Zhenli Guo

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  1. Qian Tan
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  2. **aoqiong Yan
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  3. Lizhu Chen
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  4. Kun Jiang
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Contributions

ZLG designed and supervised the study, QT, XQY, LZC and KJ conducted the experiments, all authors analyzed and interpreted the data, QT prepared the manuscript, ZLG approved the submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhenli Guo.

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Conflict of interest

Qian Tan declares that she has no conflict of interest; **aoqiong Yan declares that she has no conflict of interest; Lizhu Chen declares that she has no conflict of interest; Kun Jiang declares that he has no conflict of interest; Zhenli Guo declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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Tan, Q., Yan, X., Chen, L. et al. Dietary flavonoids protect human brain microvascular endothelial cell from oxidative stress-induced dysfunction. Mol. Cell. Toxicol. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13273-024-00461-7

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