Effect of Hydropsyche kozhantschikovi Extracts on Oxidative Stress

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate effects of ethanol extracts from Hydropsyche kozhantschikovi on cell and DNA damage caused by oxidative stress. In a radical scavenging assay, compared with ascorbic acid used as a control, the level of DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and that of hydroxyl radicals in H. kozhantschikovi extracts were 60.0% and 43.7%, respectively. The ferrous iron chelating level was 37.5% compared to the chelating value of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) as a positive control at the same concentration. To verify inhibitory effects of oxidative cell damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), the relative level of lipid peroxidation and the expression level of the p21 protein were compared in extracts-treated and untreated groups. Lipid peroxidation was completely inhibited in the extracts-treated group compared with the radical-only treated group. The level of p21 protein expression was restored to 92.2% of p21 protein expression in the control sample. In addition, DNA cleavage inhibition in the H. kozhantschikovi extracts was 74.1% compared with that of the control group, suggesting that H. kozhantschikovi extracts repress DNA cleavage induced by ROS.Moreover, the phosphorylation ratio of the H2AX protein was 16.7% in the radical-treated group, indicating that the ethanol extracts inhibited 83.3% of DNA damage. Our findings suggest that ethanol extracts from H. kozhantschikovi are effective not only in repressing the oxidation of free radicals and highly toxic hydroxyl radicals, but also in decreasing cell and DNA damage caused by oxidative stress.