Effect of Mahuang Gancao Ganjiang Decoction on Fusion and Fission of Mitochondria and Apoptosis of Lymphocytes in Mice under Cold Stress

Mahuang Gancao Ganjiang Decoction (MGGD) can effectively alleviate the symptoms of the patients suffering from exogenous cold stress. However, the curative mechanism has not been fully clarified. This study was designed to investigate the effect of MGGD on the apoptosis of lymphocytes induced by cold stress in mice. The model mice were randomly divided into four groups: the normal control group (no handling mice), cold stress group, MGGD + cold stress group, and MGGD group. Lymphocytes of the mice were isolated from the peripheral blood. Electron microscopy analysis revealed cold stress resulted in mitochondrial fragmentation. Accompanied with the change of morphology of mitochondria, ATP production and the activity of respiratory chain complex decreased in these cells. Western blot analysis showed that these cells expressed decreased fusion-related proteins Mitofusin 1 (Mfn1), Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2), and optic atrophy protein-1 (Opa-1) and increased fission-related proteins dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) and fission 1 (Fis-1); our results also show that decreased mitochondrial fusion induces cell apoptosis during cold stress. Meanwhile, we found MGGD can inhibit cell apoptosis induced by cold stress through regulating expression level of Mfn1, Mfn2, Drp1, Fis-1, and Opa-1. These findings are very significant for understanding how MGGD regulates cold-stress-induced cell apoptosis.