Flavonoid Extract from Propolis Inhibits Cardiac Fibrosis Triggered by Myocardial Infarction through Upregulation of SIRT1

Abstract

The flavonoid extract from propolis (FP) has been shown to protect against heart injury induced by isoproterenol. However, the effect of FP on cardiac fibrosis after myocardial infarction (MI) as well as the underlying mechanisms is not known. In the present study, we used biochemical and histological approaches to examine the effects of FP on MI-induced cardiac fibrosis and the related mechanisms in a rat MI model and in angiotensin II- (Ang II-) treated rat cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). In vivo, MI was generated by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery of rats, which remained for 4 weeks. Rats were randomly divided into the sham, MI, FP (12.5 mg/kg/d), and MI+FP groups. We found that FP treatment improved heart function, reduced cardiac fibrosis, and downregulated the expression of fibrosis-related factors including collagen I, collagen III, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and p-Smad2/3, which coincided with the upregulated expression of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) in the hearts of MI rats. Our in vitro experiments showed that FP inhibited the proliferation and migration of primary cultured rat CFs and downregulated the expression of the above-mentioned fibrosis-related factors in Ang II-stimulated CFs. In addition, FP can decrease ROS production induced by MI and Ang II in vivo and vitro. Notably, silencing SIRT1 counteracted the FP-induced effects on CFs treated with Ang II. We conclude that FP inhibits MI-induced cardiac fibrosis through SIRT1 activation and that FP represents a potential promising drug for the treatment of MI patients in the clinic.

Investigation of potential inhibitor properties of ethanolic propolis extracts against ACE-II receptors for COVID-19 treatment by molecular docking study

“…Studies show that propolis extracts have high immunomodulatory effect and inhibition potential for some clinically important enzymes, such as urease, xanthine oxidase (XO), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), α-amylase, α-glucosidase (Baltas et al 2016 ; Catchpole et al 2018 ). In addition, in vivo and in vitro studies show that flavonoids, one of the active ingredients of propolis, have high potential for Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibition (Hussain et al 2018 ; Wang et al 2018 ; Silveira et al 2019 ).…”

Green and brown propolis as antioxidant, antimicrobial and inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases in endodontics

“…Fewinvestigations about the effect of propolis samples onmatrix metalloproteinaseactivity (MMPs) have been found.A previousstudy showed an inhibition of the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 19 by propolis samples. However, no studies were found with Brazilian propolis extracts.…”

Propolis, Bee Honey, and Their Components Protect against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Review of In Silico, In Vitro, and Clinical Studies

“…Most active ingredients in propolis comprise polyphenolic phytochemicals that are widely distributed in vegetables and fruits: phenolic acids, flavonoids (flavanones, flavones, flavanols, etc. ), stilbenes, and tannins [ 32 , 48 , 49 ]. Propolis contents of active compounds vary considerably according to its botanical origin and geographical location [ 32 , 47 , 50 ].…”

“…Propolis exerts a viricidal activity by destroying viral outer envelope (e.g., of human immunodeficiency virus); it also inhibits viral replication and transmission among cells [ 42 ]. Flavonoids of propolis are reported to exhibit potent ACE-inhibiting properties in vivo and in vitro [ 49 , 56 ].…”