Dl-3-n-butylphthalide attenuates H2O2-induced oxidative damage of human umbilical vein and umbilical artery endothelial cells

Objective To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) - induced oxidative damage of vascular endothelial cells (VECs). Methods Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human umbilical artery endothelial cells (HUAECs) were cultured and MTT assay was used to find the appropriate dosage of H2O2 for establishment of oxidative stress injury model. Then the cells were pre-incubated with two different dosages of NBP (5 and 10 μmol/L) 2 h before exposure to H2O2. The cell viability was detected by MTT assay, mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by rhodamine 123, cell apoptosis was detected by Annexin-V/PI double staining, and intracellular free Ca2+ was measured by Fura-4/AM. Results H2O2-induced oxidative injury reduced the cell viability of HUVECs and HUAECs, increased the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration thus leading to mitochondrial membrane potential decline and cell apoptosis(P＜0.05). However, NBP treatment improved the