Bawei Chenxiang Powder Medicated Serum Protected H9C2 from Damage Under Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Through the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β Signaling Pathway

BaWeiChenXiang Powder (Bwcx) is a traditional Chinese Tibetan medicine and has been reported to be cardioprotective. Serum pharmacology is used to explore traditional medicinal compounds. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and differential expression of PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β are associated with myocardial injuries; however, it is not clear whether the protective effects of Bwcx on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injuries are related to the ROS-PI3K/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway. Therefore, a Hypoxia/Reoxygenation (HR) model was established in H9C2 cells, and the cell viability, catalase (CAT), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), respiratory chain complexI (ComplexI), and malondialdehyde (MDA) release were assessed using assay kits. Flow cytometry, Western blot, and qRT-PCR were conducted to examine the apoptosis rate, protein expression, and gene expression, respectively, of H9C2 subjected to Bwcx preprocessing treatments. Bwcx pretreatment reduced HR-induced MDA, LDH, CK, ROS release, and apoptosis rate and increased H9C2 activity and CAT, SOD, GSH-Px, and complex I content. Bwcx pretreatment altered the expression of oxygen scavenger-related proteins and decreased the expression of Ndufa10, Trx, HO-1, and Keap1 while increasing the expression of Nrf2. Bwcx promoted the expression of PI3K/AKT/GSK3β proteins and genes and inhibited the expression of related apoptotic proteins and genes. These results demonstrate that Bwcx-containing serum reduces oxidative stress injuries caused by hypoxia/reoxygenation in H9C2 cells, changes the degree of apoptosis, and helps regulate the mechanism of the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway.