Study of the role of activated protein C in the apoptosis of endothelial cell

Objective To study the protective effects of activated protein C (AFC) on the apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in order to clarify the mechanisms associated with the expression of some genes related to apoptosis. Method The human umbilical vein endothelial cells were incubated with LPS (1.0 μg/mL) for one hour to make the models of cell apoptosis, and then the different concentrations of AFC (10 ng/mL and 50 ng/mL) were added to the models of cell apoptosis as treatment group. Therefore, there were two groups, model group and APC treated group. The factors related with apoptosis such as P53, Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 mRNA or protein level were measured by using RT-PCR and Western blotting. Results Compared with LPS stimulated cells, the expressions of P53, Bax and caspase-3 mRNA and levels of protein were decreased and the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and protein level were increased in APC treated cells particularly in APC 50 ng/mL treated cells (P <0.05). Conclusions The APC inhibits the apoptosis of HUVECs induced by LPS via regulating the mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis pathway, and it may become a novel therapeutic agent for infection disease. Key words: Activated protein C; Lipopolysaccharide; Apoptosis; Endothelial Cells