Noscapine protects the H9c2 cardiomyocytes of rats against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion injury.

Noscapine is an antitumor alkaloid derived from Papaver somniferum plants. Our previous study has demonstrated that exposure of noscapine on primary murine fetal cortical neurons exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) has neuroprotective effects. In current study, the effects of noscapine on cardiomyocytes (H9c2 cells) damage caused by 120 minutes (min) of OGD/R were evaluated and we determined whether the addition of BD1047, sigma-one receptor antagonist, prevents the protective effects of noscapine in H9c2 cells through the production of nitric oxide (NO) and apoptosis. To initiate OGD, H9c2 cells was transferred to glucose-free DMEM, and placed in a humidified incubation chamber. Cell viability was assessed with noscapine (1-5 μM) in the presence or absence of BD1047, 24 hours (h) after OGD/R. Cell viability, NO production and apoptosis ratio were evaluated by the MTT assay, the Griess method and the quantitative real-time PCR. Noscapine considerably improved the survival of H9c2 cells compared to OGD/R. Also, noscapine was extremely capable of reducing the concentrations of NO and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio expression. While the BD1047 administration alone diminished cell viability and increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and NO levels. The addition of noscapine in the presence of BD1047 did not increase the cell viability relative to noscapine alone. Noscapine exerted cardioprotective effects exposed to OGD/R-induced injury in H9c2 cells, at least partly via attenuation of NO production and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, which indicates that the sigma-one receptor activation is involved in the protection by noscapine of H9c2 cells injured by OGD/R.