ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effect of DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin on atherosclerosis and its mechanism.Methods Thirty male ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into two groups:experimental group(n=15) and control group(n=15).The mice in the experimental group were fed with high-fat mixture of sitagliptin and the control group was fed with high fat.Collected blood in the eyeballs in order to analyze serum levels of blood lipids and blood glucose after 16 weeks of feeding,and detected serum nitric oxide synthase(eNOS),vascular adhesion molecule-1(VCAM-1) with ELISA method.Collected aortic tissue in order to analyze atherosclerotic plaque.Results There was no significant difference in blood glucose,triglyceride and total cholesterol level between the two groups(P>0.05).The serum high density lipoprotein in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).The atherosclerotic plaque in the experimental group(7.55±1.87)%, which was significantly smaller than that in the control group(11.67±1.32)%.The serum VCAM-1 in the experimental group was lower and the eNOS was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion DPP-4 sitagliptin can increase the expression of HDL and eNOS and inhibit the expression of VCAM-1,thereby inhibiting the progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/-mice.