Lipoteichoic acid reduces antioxidant enzymes in H9c2 cells

Graphical abstract
Highlights • Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) reduced the levels of the antioxidant enzymes in H9c2 cells. • LTA from Streptococcus sanguinis induced ROS production in H9c2 cells. • Low antioxidant enzymes levels and ROS production could be related to infective endocarditis (IE). • Antioxidants could protect against oxidative stress induced by LTA in IE.
Infective endocarditis (IE) is an illness where the heart is invaded by bacteria, like Streptococcal and Staphylococcal species that contain lipoteichoic acid (LTA) related to an essential role in this disease. This study is the first in evaluating antioxidant enzyme levels in embryonic cardiomyocyte cell line (H9c2) induced by LTA from Streptococcus sanguinis. LTA increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced the levels of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD)-1 and catalase (CAT) but did not affect glutathione content. At the highest LTA concentration (15 μg/ml), SOD-1 and CAT levels did not change, and this effect was related to the induction of mRNA levels of Nrf2 induced by LTA. These results suggest that low antioxidant enzyme levels and ROS production could be related to IE.