Effects of rutaecarpine on hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in murine hepa-1c1c7 cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of rutaecarpine on DNA strand breaks and apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in murine Hepa-1c1c7 cells. Oxidative DNA damage was estimated by nuclear condensation assessment, fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis, and Comet assay. Rutaecarpine inhibited cell death induced by 500 μM H2O2, as assessed by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Treatment with rutaecarpine reduced the number of DNA strand breaks induced by H2O2, as assessed by DAPI staining and Comet assay, and increased quinone reductase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and pAkt protein levels, as assessed by western blotting.