HO-1 Prevents Oxidative Stress Damage, Promotes Proliferation and Inhibits Apoptosis of Osteoblasts Induced by H2O2

Abstract

Background: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can induce oxidative injury, protein damage and DNA breaks in osteoblasts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) on the biological behavior and oxidative stress damage of H2O2-treated osteoblasts. Methods: The skull osteoblasts were isolated and divided into three groups: negative control group (without H2O2 or transfection of HO-1 protein), positive control group (with H2O2 but without transfection of HO-1 protein) and experimental group (with H2O2 and transfection of HO-1 protein). After 24 h of intervention, the apoptosis, cell proliferation, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), protein levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Caspase-3, Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cytokinin (CTK), as well as protein and mRNA levels of bone gla-protein (BGP) and Runt related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) were detected. Results: Compared with the negative control group, the positive control group and the experimental group had lower levels of SOD, lower protein and mRNA expressions of BGP and Runx2, higher cell proliferation inhibition rate, apoptosis rate, levels of MDA and ROS levels, and protein levels of Bcl-2, Caspase-3, TRAP and CTK after intervention (all p < 0.05). The experimental group showed the opposite results when comparing with the positive control group (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: HO-1 can inhibit the oxidative stress damage of osteoblasts induced by H2O2, as well as promote the proliferation and inhibit the apoptosis of osteoblasts.