Abstract: Objective:To investigate the effect of berberine on the angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ)-induced apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and its mechanism,and to clarify the anti-AS mechanism of berberine. Methods:The HUVECs cultured in vitro were divided into control group (untreated), AngⅡ group (treated with 1 μmoL·L^-1 Ang Ⅱ for 24 h) and low,medium,and high doses of berberine groups (after pretreated with 1 μmoL·L^-1 Ang Ⅱ for 3 h, treated with 25, 50, and 100 μmoL·L^-1 berberine for 24 h, respectively).The survival rates and the apoptotic rates of cells in each group were detected by MTT method and flow cytometry,the ROS level in each group was detected by ROS kit, and the expression levels of p-JNK, Bcl-2, Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 proteins in each group were detected by Western blotting method. Results:Compared with control group, the survival rate of cells and the Bcl-2 protein expression level in AngⅡgroup were decreased(P<0.05), while the apoptotic rate of cells, the ROS level and the expression levels of p-JNK, Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 proteins were increased(P<0.05); compared with AngⅡgroup, the survival rates of cells and the expression levels of Bax protein in low,medium, and high doses of berberine groups were significantly increased(P<0.05), while the apoptotic rates of cells, the ROS levels and the expression levels of p-JNK, Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 proteins were decreased(P<0.05) in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusion:Berberine can inhibit the apoptosis of HUVECs induced by AngⅡ, which may be related to the inhibition of ROS/JNK signaling pathway activation.

Key words: angiotensin Ⅱ, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, berberine, apoptosis