Anti-ischaemic effects of bilobalide on neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and the involvement of the platelet-activating factor receptor

Terpene trilactones from Ginkgo biloba have been investigated extensively for their antioxidant and anti-ischaemic activities on the brain and the heart, but the mechanisms of these effects remain unclear. For the present study, a terpenoid constituent from G. biloba, bilobalide, was screened for protective effects on the ischaemic heart and the involvement of the PAFR [PAF (platelet-activating factor) receptor] and the enzyme that degrades PAF, PAF-AH (PAF acetylhydrolase) during hypoxia. The PAF pathway is supposed to play a role in hypoxia and its regulation may prevent or alleviate MI (myocardial infarction). Cardiomyocytes from neonatal rat hearts were cultured and treated with different concentrations of bilobalide (500–0.5 ng/ml). After being subjected to a hypoxic environment, the cells' viability was evaluated and proteins as well as RNA were extracted for analysis by Western blotting and RT–PCR (reverse transcription PCR) respectively. With the MI model we tested for bilobalide's cardioprotective effects and the involvement of PAFR and PAF-AH. Bilobalide (5 ng/ml) significantly decreased the mortality of cells in a concentration-dependent way. mRNA expression of PAFR was up-regulated in hypoxic cells but in the groups treated with bilobalide, its expression was down-regulated to the level of the normal control. In hypoxic tissue, PAFR protein expression was also up-regulated, but was reduced in the bilobalide (10 mg/kg of body weight) treated group. Our results indicate that PAF and its receptor may be involved in the cellular response of cardiomyocytes to hypoxia and that bilobalide may interact with this receptor to exert its cardioprotective effects.