Salidroside inhibits endogenous hydrogen peroxide induced cytotoxicity of endothelial cells

Salidroside, a phenylpropanoid glycoside isolated from Rhodiola rosea L., shows potent antioxidant property. Herein, we investigated the protective effects of salidroside against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative damage in human endothelial cells (EVC-304). EVC-304 cells were incubated in the presence or absence of low steady states of H2O2 (3-4 µM) generated by glucose oxidase (GOX) with or without salidroside. 3(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) assays were performed, together with Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometric analysis using Annexin-V and propidium iodide (PI) label. The results indicated that salidroside pretreatment attenuated endogenous H2O2 induced apoptotic cell death in EVC-304 cells in a dose-dependent pattern. Furthermore, Western blot data revealed that salidroside inhibited activation of caspase-3, 9 and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) induced by endogenous H2O2. It also decreased the expression of Bax and rescued the balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins. All these results demonstrated that salidroside may present a potential therapy for oxidative stress in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.