An ethanol extract of dried kudzu root was purified with an AB-8 resin column, and the concentrations of puerarin, daidzin and daidzein in the KUD were determined using UV spectroscopy. HUVECs were pretreated with various concentrations of the KUD with or without rotenone and the viability was assessed by AlamarBlue cell viability assay. Next, HUVECs were pretreated with the KUD and then treated with rotenone, and the levels of ROS generation, apoptosis, and changes of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) in HUVECs were measured using fluorescent staining assay and high-content analysis.
The contents of three major isoflavonoids (puerarin, daidzin and daidzein) were enriched by 7.75–27.51 fold in the extract. The KUD enhanced the proliferation of HUVECs, and protected HUVECs against rotenone-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis. Additionally, the KUD prevented the loss of ΔΨm in HUVECs stimulated by oxidative stress.
We demonstrated that an isoflavonoid-rich extract prepared from kudzu root has the potential to act as a protector for vascular endothelial cells against intracellular ROS mediated apoptosis and mitochondrial damage.