Red photon treatment inhibits apoptosis via regulation of bcl-2 proteins and ROS levels, alleviating hypoxic–ischemic brain damage

Abstract

Therapeutic options for hypoxic–ischemic brain damage (HIBD) are scarce and inefficient. Recently, many studies have demonstrated that red photon plays an important role in anti-inflammatory processes as well as apoptosis, the main trait of HIBD. In this study, we investigated whether red photon can protect from HIBD in SD rats and oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) in PC12 cells. Apoptosis, mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MMP), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) rates were assessed in PC12 cells. We found that 6-h irradiation resulted in decreased MMP, ROS and apoptosis rates, although these changes were reversible with prolonged irradiation. Importantly, these effects were sustained for 2–8h upon quenching of the red photon. Similar trends were observed for protein and mRNA expression of bax and bcl-2, with short-term irradiation (6h) inhibiting apoptosis in PC12 Cells. However, long-term (>6h) irradiation caused cell damage. In vivo experiments, bax mRNA and protein levels were reduced after 7days in HIBD model rats treated with red photon, in contrast to bcl-2. Furthermore, we found that bax and bcl-2 were mainly expressed in pyramidal cells of the hippocampus CA1 and CA3. Importantly, Morris Water Maze test results revealed an improvement in learning ability and spatial memory in rats after irradiation. Overall, our data showed that short-term irradiation with red photon in the acute phase inhibits the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway via regulation of bcl-2-related proteins and reduction of ROS levels, thereby decreasing apoptosis in nerve cells and improving the neurological prognosis of HIBD.