Beneficial Effects of Quercetin on Microcystin-LR Induced Tight Junction Defects

Yuan Zhou; Mei Xue; Yunfei Jiang; Miaomiao Zhang; Changming Wang; Xuyang Wang; Guang Yu; Zongxiang Tang

doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.733993

Beneficial Effects of Quercetin on Microcystin-LR Induced Tight Junction Defects

Front Pharmacol. 2021 Sep 10:12:733993. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.733993. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Yuan Zhou¹, Mei Xue², Yunfei Jiang³, Miaomiao Zhang¹, Changming Wang¹, Xuyang Wang⁴, Guang Yu¹, Zongxiang Tang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiology, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
² College of Traditional Chinese Medicine·College of Intergrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
³ Department of Emergency, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
⁴ Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated 6th People's Hospital, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Quercetin has numerous functions including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The beneficial effect of quercetin against microcystin-LR (MC-LR)-induced testicular tight junctions (TJs) defects in vitro and in vivo were investigated. Significant reductions in transepithelial electrical resistance, occludin, and zonula occludens-1(ZO-1) levels were detected in the MC-LR-treated TM4 cells, and quercetin attenuated these effects. Interestingly, quercetin suppressed MC-LR-induced phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT). It effectively inhibited the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells stimulated by MC-LR. In addition, ROS inhibitors blocked the TJ damage that is dependent on the AKT signaling pathway induced by MC-LR. In conclusion, our results suggest that alleviates MC-LR-impaired TJs by suppressing the ROS-regulated activation of the AKT pathway.

Keywords: Akt; ROS; micorcystin-LR; quercetin; tight junction.