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Protective effects of luteolin on the venous endothelium

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Abstract

Luteolin is a flavonoid with antioxidant properties already demonstrated in studies related to inflammation, tumor, and cardiovascular processes; however, there are no available information regarding its antioxidant effects at the venous endothelial site. We investigated the effects of luteolin (10, 20, and 50 μmol/L) in cultures of rat venous endothelial cells. Nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed by fluorimetry; 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) residues were evaluated by immunofluorescence, and prostacyclin (PGI2) release was investigated by colorimetry. Intracellular NO levels were significantly enhanced after 10 min of luteolin incubation, with a parallel decrease in ROS generation. These results were accompanied by a significant reduction in the expression of 3-NT residues and enhanced PGI2 rates. Therefore, luteolin is effective in reducing ROS thereby improving NO availability in venous endothelial cells. Besides, luteolin-induced decrease in 3-NT residues may correlate with the enhancement in endothelial PGI2 bioavailability. These findings suggest the future application of this flavonoid as a protective agent by improving endothelial function in several circulatory disorders related to venous insufficiency.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Wilson Dias Segura for technical assistance. This study was supported by grants from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) (2017/22028-5; 2017/21834-8), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

Funding

This study was supported by grants from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) (2017/22028-5; 2017/21834-8), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

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  1. Henrique Charlanti Reis Assunção and Yan Milen Coelho Cruz have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Campus Diadema, Diadema, SP, 09913-030, Brazil

    Henrique Charlanti Reis Assunção, Yan Milen Coelho Cruz, Jéssica Silva Bertolino, Raphael Caio Tamborelli Garcia & Liliam Fernandes

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  1. Henrique Charlanti Reis Assunção
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  2. Yan Milen Coelho Cruz
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  3. Jéssica Silva Bertolino
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  4. Raphael Caio Tamborelli Garcia
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  5. Liliam Fernandes
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Contributions

H.C.R.A.: Conceptualization; Methodology; Investigation. Y.M.C.C.: Conceptualization; Methodology; Investigation. J.S.B.: Conceptualization; Methodology; Investigation. R.C.T.G.: Conceptualization; Visualization; Funding acquisition. L.F.: Writing—Review & Editing; Supervision; Project administration; Funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Liliam Fernandes.

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All procedures were approved and performed in accordance with the guidelines of the Ethics Committee of UNIFESP (Protocol No. 2689270319).

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Assunção, H.C.R., Cruz, Y.M.C., Bertolino, J.S. et al. Protective effects of luteolin on the venous endothelium. Mol Cell Biochem 476, 1849–1859 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-020-04025-w

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