Ganoderic acid A alleviates hypoxia-induced apoptosis, autophagy, and inflammation in rat neural stem cells through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways

Effects of ganoderic acid A (GAA), a lanostane triterpene, on hypoxia-ischemia encephalopathy (HIE) remain unclear. We aimed to figure out the specific role of GAA in hypoxia-treated neural stem cells (NSCs) as well as the regulatory mechanisms. Primary rat NSCs were incubated under hypoxia to simulate HIE. Viability and apoptosis of hypoxia-injured NSCs were measured by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Proteins related to apoptosis, autophagy, and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways were evaluated by Western blot analysis. LY294002 and rapamycin were added to inhibit the PI3K/AKT pathway and mTOR pathway, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was carried out to test the release of proinflammatory cytokines. We found that hypoxia-induced decrease of cell viability, increases of apoptotic cells and autophagy, and the release of IL-6, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha were all attenuated by GAA stimulation. Activation of caspases induced by hypoxia was alleviated by GAA. Furthermore, we found that inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway eliminated the effects of GAA on apoptosis and proinflammatory cytokines release in hypoxia-injured NSCs. Meanwhile, inhibition of the mTOR pathway abrogated the effects of GAA on cell autophagy in hypoxia-injured NSCs. In conclusion, GAA alleviated hypoxia-induced injury in NSCs might be through activating the PI3K/AKT and mTOR pathways.