Liquiritin from Radix Glycyrrhizae Protects Cardiac Mitochondria from Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Damage

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of liquiritin (LIQ) from Radix Glycyrrhizae on cardiac mitochondria against hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR) injury. METHODS: H9C2 cells were subject to the HR model. LIQ purified from Radix Glycyrrhizae (purity > 95%) was administrated to reoxygenation period. Cell viability, mitochondrial mass, mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species, and mitochondrial Ca(2)⁺ level were then assessed by using Cell Counting kit-8 and suitable fluorescence probe kits. RESULTS: LIQ administration remarkably reduced the rate of HR damage via increasing H9C2 cell viability level and preserving mitochondria after HR. Particularly, 60 μM of LIQ posthypoxic treatment markedly reduced cell death in HR-subjected H9C2 cell groups (p < 0.05). Interestingly, posthypoxic treatment of LIQ significantly prevented the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, the decrease in mitochondrial mass, the increase in reactive oxygen species production, and the elevation of mitochondrial Ca(2)⁺ level in HR-treated H9C2 cells. CONCLUSION: The present study provides for the first time the cardioprotective of LIQ posthypoxic treatment via reducing H9C2 cell death and protecting cardiac mitochondria against HR damage.