RNA-seq based elucidation of mechanism underlying Mesona chinensis Benth polysaccharide protected HO-induced oxidative damage in L02 cells.

The homeostasis of oxidative stress is vital to the physiological behavior of normal human or animal cells, and its underlying molecular mechanism is contributed to the exploitation of functional food used in chronic diseases. Thus, the mechanism of protective effect of Mesona chinensis Benth polysaccharides (MP) in HO-induced oxidative damage was investigated thoroughly. Results showed that MP significantly recovered cell viability and elevated activity of antioxidant enzymes. Based on RNA-seq analysis, we found that MP mainly exhibited protection effect thought regulation mitochondrial function and affect PI3K and MAPK signaling pathways. Furthermore, we found that MP affected mitochondrial function via improved mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), thereby elevating ATP biosynthesis. Moreover, western blot analysis verified that MP mitigated HO-induced oxidative damage via PI3K/Akt, MAPK, and mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis signaling pathway. These findings provided a possible mechanism for MP on preventing and treating chronic diseases involved in oxidative stress, which was a benefit for development of functional food.