OBJECTIVETo study the effect and molecular mechanism of two haw leaf extracts, Vitexin-rhamnoside (VR) and Vitexin-glucoside (VG), and their preparation, Aoshaen injection (AI), on the polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) adhesion during human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) injury.

METHODSThe cell model of A/R injury duplicated by breaking off the oxygen supplying of HUVEC for 60 min followed with reoxygenating for 30 min (phase 1) or 240 min (phase 2) was taken as the experimental objective. The effects of testing drugs (VR, VG and AI) on PMN adhesion in the model cells were measured by enzyme immunoassay, and their effects on PMN superficial adhesion molecule CD11/CD18 expression were measured by flow cytometer respectively.

RESULTSAfter 60 min of anoxia, HUVEC was shrunk and deformed. The adhesion between PMN and HUVEC significantly revealed at phase 1 in the model group, but it was fewer in the normal cell group, and also lesser in the groups treated with various drugs. The condition of cell adhesion revealed at phase 2 was the similar to that at phase 1. All testing drugs, VR, VG and AI, showed inhibitory effect on the cell adhesion at either phase 1 or phase 2, showing a certain dose-effect relationship. The expression of CD11/ CD18 was also inhibited by the testing drugs, and a good dose-effect relation was shown by VG and AI.

CONCLUSIONAt the resting condition, there are almost no expression of CD11/CD18 molecule, but it could be enhanced by incubating PMN with supernate of A/R injured HUVEC culture, and more marked at phase 1. Adding the test drugs into the supernate could inhibit the enhancing of CD11/CD18 molecule expression and reduce the PMN-HUVEC adhesion, which may be one of the molecular mechanisms of haw leaf extracts and their preparation in protecting heart against A/R injury.