Preconditioning with Gua Lou Gui Zhi decoction enhances H₂O₂-induced Nrf2/HO-1 activation in PC12 cells

Spasticity is common in various central neurological conditions, including after a stroke. Such spasticity may cause additional problems, and often becomes a primary concern for afflicted individuals. A number of studies have identified nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) as a key regulator in the adaptive survival response to oxidative stress. Elevated expression of Nrf2, combined with heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) resistance, in the central nervous system is known to elicit key internal and external oxidation protection. Gua Lou Gui Zhi decoction (GLGZD) is a popular traditional Chinese formula with a long history of clinical use in China for the treatment of muscular spasticity following a stroke, epilepsy or a spinal cord injury. However, the mechanism underlying the efficacy of the medicine remains unclear. In the present study, the antioxidative effects of GLGZD were evaluated and the underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated, using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12 cells) as an in vitro oxidative stress model of neural cells. Upon application of different concentrations of GLGZD, a 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and ATP measurement were conducted to assess the impact on PC12 cell proliferation. In addition, inverted microscopy observations, and the MTT and ATP assessments, revealed that GLGZD attenuated H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage and signaling repression in PC12 cells. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1, which are associated with oxidative stress, were analyzed using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and confocal microscopy. Confocal microscopy observations, as well as the quantitative PCR assay, revealed that GLGZD exerted a neuroprotective function against H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage in PC12 cells. Therefore, the results demonstrated that GLGZD protected PC12 cells injured by H₂O₂, which may be associated with the upregulation of Nrf2 and HO-1 mRNA and protein expression levels in PC12 cells.