1. Isoliquiritigenin Attenuates Atherogenesis in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice.
- Author
-
Du F, Gesang Q, Cao J, Qian M, Ma L, Wu D, and Yu H
- Subjects
- ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1 genetics, ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1 metabolism, Animals, Apolipoproteins E deficiency, Atherosclerosis metabolism, Atherosclerosis prevention & control, Blotting, Western, CD36 Antigens genetics, CD36 Antigens metabolism, Cells, Cultured, Chemokine CCL2 genetics, Chemokine CCL2 metabolism, Cholesterol blood, Enzyme Inhibitors pharmacology, Interleukin-6 genetics, Interleukin-6 metabolism, Lipopolysaccharides pharmacology, Liver drug effects, Liver metabolism, Macrophages drug effects, Macrophages metabolism, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, PPAR gamma genetics, PPAR gamma metabolism, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Triglycerides blood, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha genetics, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha metabolism, Apolipoproteins E genetics, Atherosclerosis genetics, Chalcones pharmacology, Gene Expression drug effects
- Abstract
Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) exhibits antioxidation and anti-inflammation activity. We sought to investigate the effects and mechanism of ISL on the development of atherosclerotic lesions in apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE
-/- ) mice. Firstly, we determined that ISL reduced the mRNA levels of inflammatory factors interleukin 6 ( IL-6 ), tumor necrosis factor α ( TNF-α ), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 ( MCP-1 ), while it increased the expression of several lipoprotein-related genes in peritoneal macrophages treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). ISL also enhanced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) protein levels and reversed the changes of ATP-binding cassette transporter A (ABCA1) and cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) in macrophages treated with oxidative low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Then, in an in vivo study, female apoE-/- mice were fed a Western diet with ISL (0, 20, 100 mg/kg/day) added for 12 weeks. We found that ISL decreased the plasma cholesterol levels of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)/LDL, promoted plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) and paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activities, and decreased plasma IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1 levels. Moreover, ISL significantly reduced the atherosclerotic lesions and hepatic steatosis in apoE-/- mice. In the liver, ISL altered the expression of several key genes (such as SRBI , ABCA1 , ABCG8 , PPARγ , and FASN ) involving cholesterol-selective uptake and excretion into bile, triglyceride (TG) biosynthesis, and inflammation. These results suggest that the atheroprotective effects of ISL are due to the improvement of lipid metabolism, antioxidation, and anti-inflammation, which involve PPARγ-dependent signaling., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.- Published
- 2016
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