Exploratory study on the potential regulating role of Peroxiredoxin 6 on proteolysis and relationships with desmin early postmortem

The objective of the present study was to explore the effect of Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx 6) on beef tenderization during the early postmortem period. The longissimus lumborum (LL) were obtained at 45 min postmortem from 6 beef carcasses and then incubated with or without the inhibitor of Prdx6 (NSC348884) for different times, followed by incubation with or without the H₂O₂ (simulation of oxidative stress). The expression of Prdx6, proteolysis indicated by desmin degradation, cell apoptosis rate and expression of caspases were measured. The results indicated that the inhibitor significantly reduced the Prdx6 level, while the cells adaptively increased Prdx6 expression to resist the oxidative stress caused by H₂O₂. Moreover, the samples in which Prdx6 was inhibited demonstrated more severe desmin degradation accompanied by a higher apoptosis rate which was induced by the increase in caspase degradation as well as the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. These results demonstrated that inhibiting Prdx6 could promote cell apoptosis and further accelerate beef tenderization.