Original Contribution
Protection of human cultured cells against oxidative stress by Rhodiola rosea without activation of antioxidant defenses

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2009.05.025Get rights and content

Abstract

Rhodiola rosea root has been long used in traditional medical systems in Europe and Asia as an adaptogen to increase an organism's resistance to physical stress. Recent research has demonstrated its ability to improve mental and physical stamina, to improve mood, and to help alleviate high-altitude sickness. We have also recently found that R. rosea is able to extend the life span of Drosophila melanogaster. The mode of action of R. rosea is currently unknown; it has been suggested by some to act as an antioxidant, whereas others have argued that it may actually be a pro-oxidant and act through a hormetic mechanism. We found that R. rosea supplementation could protect cultured cells against ultraviolet light, paraquat, and H2O2. However, it did not alter the levels of the major antioxidant defenses nor did it markedly activate the antioxidant response element or modulate heme-oxygenase-1 expression levels at relevant concentrations. In addition, R. rosea extract was not able to significantly degrade H2O2 in vitro. These results suggest that in human cultured cells R. rosea does not act as an antioxidant and that its mode of action cannot be sufficiently explained through a pro-oxidant hormetic mechanism.

Section snippets

Reagents

All reagents except those listed below were obtained from Sigma–Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), fetal bovine serum (FBS), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), penicillin/streptomycin, trypsin, and cumene hydroperoxide were obtained from Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, MA, USA) for the 143B cell culture study. Versene and DMEM were obtained from Invitrogen, and FBS from HyClone, for the IMR-32 cell culture study.

Cells and cell culture

Human osteosarcoma-derived 143B, human

Relative toxicity of R. rosea versus ascorbate

Our initial aim was to estimate the relative toxicity of the R. rosea extract compared to a commonly used antioxidant, ascorbate (vitamin C), and also to identify an appropriate dose that offers beneficial effects with no toxicity. Our findings in 143B cells (Fig. 2) demonstrated that the R. rosea extract is comparable in toxicity to ascorbate, or may be less toxic (P < 0.001) at 10 μg/ml, in our experimental system. It should also be noted that the putative active compounds (rosin, rosavin, and

Discussion

R. rosea belongs to a growing list of herbal remedies that are attracting attention in the modern medical research community [24], [25]. It is a member of a class of extracts containing compounds known as adaptogens, which are natural herbal extracts that are capable of protecting an individual from stress, anxiety, and fatigue [1], [26], [27], [28]. But, despite its demonstrative benefits in both human trials and animal studies, its molecular mode of action is not known. Twenty-eight

Acknowledgments

We thank Drs. Young Kwon and Douglas C. Wallace for the use of their laboratory space and equipment and Professor Jeffrey A. Johnson for the ARE–luciferase construct.

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