Apios americana Medik flowers extract protects PC12 cells against HO induced neurotoxicity via regulating autophagy.

Since flavonoids are antioxidant compounds, they could beneficially affect neurodegenerative diseases where reactive oxygen species are involved. In this study, we firstly isolated and identified fourteen compounds from the flowers of Apios americana Medik. Then, we tested whether Apios americana Medik flowers water extract (AFWE) exerts a protective effect on HO induced PC12 cells injure. As expected, pretreatment with AFWE inhibited cytotoxicity and DNA condensation in HOinduced PC12 cells. Exposure of PC12 cells to HO resulted in reactive oxygen species accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction, while AFWE alleviated these damages. AFWE obviously reversed the alternations as H2O2 increased Caspase-3 and decreased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax expressions. Furthermore, autophagy in PC12 cells was further activated by AFWE, which was beneficial to resisting adversity. These results manifest that AFWE prevents HO induced damage via regulating autophagy.