Resveratrol protects H9c2 embryonic rat heart derived cells from oxidative stress by inducing autophagy: role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase

Recently, many studies have attempted to illustrate the mechanism of autophagy in protection against oxidative stress to the heart induced by H2O2. However, whether resveratrol-induced autophagy involves the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is still unknown. This study aimed to investigate whether treating H9c2 cells with resveratrol increases autophagy and attenuates the cell death and apoptosis induced by oxidative stress via the p38 MAPK pathway. Resveratrol with or without SB202190, an inhibitor of the p38 MAPK pathway, was added 30 min before H2O2. After H2O2 treatment, the cells were incubated under 5% CO2 at 37 degrees C for 24 h to assess cell survival and death or incubated for 20 min for Western blot and transmission electron microscopy. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis after 6 h of H2O2 treatment. Resveratrol at 20 mu mol/L protected H9c2 cells treated with 100 mu mol/L H2O2 from oxidative damage. It increased cell survival and markedly decrease lactate dehydrogenase release. In addition, resveratrol increased autophagy and decreased H2O2-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the protective effects of resveratrol were inhibited by 10 mu mol/L SB202190. Thus, resveratrol protected H2O2-treated H9c2 cells by upregulating autophagy via the p38 MAPK pathway.