Betulinic acid alleviates myocardial hypoxia/reoxygenation injury via inducing Nrf2/HO-1 and inhibiting p38 and JNK pathways.

Myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (I/RI) can lead to acute myocardial infarction (MI), which is a common cardiovascular disease (CVD) leading to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Betulinic acid exerts protective effect on myocardial I/RI in rats; however, the mechanism remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of betulinic acid on myocardial I/RI in vitro and further investigate the underlying mechanism.