PPAR-γ promotes p38 MAP kinase-mediated endothelial cell permeability through activating Sirt3

Background Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced vascular dysfunction is the main factor to acute ischemic stroke. Sirt3 is one of the sirtuin family members, which plays an important role in the development of neurological diseases. Methods In this study, we constructed I/R injury model on HBMEC cells and induced the overexpression of Sirt3 in model cells. Meanwhile, the p38 activator U-46619 was used to examine the connection between Sirt3 and p38. We also examined the level of endothelial associated proteins, including occluding, ZO-1 and claudin-4 by using qRT-PCR and western blot. Results Our findings indicated that overexpression of Sirt3 decreased the permeability of model cells and promoted in the growth of endothelial cells. However, the activation of p38 could antagonize the function of Sirt3 in HBMEC cells. Moreover, Our results indicated a positive correlation between Sirt3 and inter-endothelial junction proteins. Importantly, PPAR-gamma agonist and inhibitor were utilized to investigate the role of PPAR-gamma in Sirt3 mediated cell function. Sirt3 was targeted by PPAR-gamma in model cells. Conclusions Taken together, this research not only demonstrated PPAR-gamma might benefit to the growth of endothelial cell though activating Sirt3 but also indicated its potential value in the treatment for ischemic stroke.