Natural antioxidants inhibit oxidative stress-induced changes in the morphology and motility of cells

Effect of antioxidants in oxidative stress-induced cell damage has been extensively studied, but its effects on cell macroscopic phenomena have rarely been explored. Cell morphology and motility are two interrelated cellular processes reflecting cellular function phenotype, and the real-time imaging technology is key for the study of these processes. In this study, we used two known antioxidants, pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) and rutin, to explore the antioxidant effects on cell morphology and motility in rotenone-damaged NIH3T3 cells, as well as roles in their antioxidant function based on Cytation 7 Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader. First, NIH-3T3 cells were pretreated with PQQ and rutin for 4 h and then rotenone was used to induce oxidative damage. It was found that PQQ (2 μM) and rutin (300 μM) had similar protective effects on the proliferation activity of rotenone-damaged cells. Subsequently, the morphology and motility of the treated cells were quantified. Results showed that both PQQ and rutin could significantly inhibit morphological changes including cell shape index and cell surface of the damaged cells, however PQQ had a stronger effect on cell motility under the specific experimental concentrations. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we further demonstrated that the quantified cell morphology and motility were consistent with the cell proliferation activity. Consequently, quantification of cell morphology and motility as evaluation indices may serve as potential reference values for the evaluation of biological activity of antioxidants.