Sesamin ameliorates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity: Involvement of Sirt1 and Mn-SOD pathway

- Sesamin can ameliorate DOX-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage.
- Sesamin can up-regulate the activity and protein expression of Mn-SOD.
- Sesamin also can up-regulate the protein expression of Sirt1.
- The protective mechanism of sesamin is mainly through activation of Sirt1.

Oxidative stress caused by doxorubicin (DOX) is believed to be a major underlying molecular mechanism of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Sesamin (Ses), an active component extracted from sesame seeds, exhibits antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. In the present study, possible protective mechanisms of Ses on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity were investigated in rats and cultured H9C2 cells. We demonstrated that Ses exhibits a significant protective effect on cardiac tissue in animal and cell models of DOX-induced cardiac injury. Moreover, Ses can ameliorate DOX-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage. Further studies suggested that Ses is able to up-regulate the protein expression of Mn-SOD in normal rats and to restore the decreased expression of Mn-SOD in DOX-induced cardiac injury rats. Exposure to Ses or DOX alone slightly increased the protein expression of Sirt1; however, a more remarkable increase in Sirt1 protein level was detected in the Ses + DOX group. Treatment with a pan-sirtuin inhibitor (nicotinamide) or a Sirt1-specific inhibitor (EX-527) partially antagonised the effect of Ses on DOX-induced mitochondrial damage and completely abolished the effect of Ses on Mn-SOD expression. These findings indicate that the protective mechanisms of Ses on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity are involved in the alleviation of oxidative stress injury and Mn-SOD dysfunction, partially via the activation of Sirt1.