Simvastatin alleviates liver function injury in ApoE knockout mice by inhibiting calpain activity / 中国药理学通报

Aim To study the protective effect of simvastatin(Sim)on liver function injury in apolipoprotein E gene knockout(ApoE KO)mice fed with high-fat diet and the underlying mechanism.Methods Twenty-four 8-week-old male ApoE KO mice were randomly divided into ApoE KO group,ApoE KO+Sim group and ApoE KO+PD150606 group.The contents of total cholesterol(TC)and triglyceride(TG)in serum and liver,and the activities of aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT)in serum were measured.The contents of malondialdehyde(MDA)and reactive oxygen species(ROS)and the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)in liver were determined.The contents of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)and the activity of calpain in liver were examined.Results Compared with C57 group,ApoE KO group showed significant increase in the contents of TC and TG in both serum and liver.In addition,the activities of AST and ALT in serum and the contents of MDA and ROS in liver significantly increased,while SOD activity in liver decreased in ApoE KO group.The contents of TNF-α and IL-6 and the activity of calpain in liver significantly increased.Compared with ApoE KO group,Sim group had no significant effects on TC and TG,while reduced the activities of AST and ALT,decreased the contents of MDA and ROS,increased the activity of SOD and decreased the contents of TNF-α and IL-6 as well as the activity of calpain in liver.PD,the calpain inhibitor,had the similar effects with Sim regarding the above mentioned parameters.Conclusions Sim improved the liver function injury of ApoE KO mice,which might be related to the inhibition of calpain activity,subsequently increasing the antioxidant capacity and reducing the inflammatory response.

Quercetin attenuates atherosclerosis in ApoE KO mice by regulating macrophage cholesterol homeostasis / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the protective effect of quercetin on atherosclerosis induced by high-fat diet in ApoE knockout ( ApoE KO) mice and its regulatory mechanism on cholesterol homeostasis of macrophages.Methods Forty-five adult female ApoE KO mice were randomly divicied into three groups : nonnal diet ( ND ) group, high fat diet ( HFD) group and high fat diet + quercetin ( HFD + Qu) group and fed for 16 weeks.The level of serum lipid, the formation of atherosclerotic plaque and the expression of genes related to cholesterol homeostasis were detected.Macrophage cholesterol content and the expression level of cholesterol homeo- stasis-related proteins were detected.Results Quer cetin significantly reduced the atherosclerotic lesions and serum lipid levels in ApoE KO mice.Quercetin significantly suppressed macrophage foaming by upreg- ulating CYP27A1 expression，inhibiting CD36-mediated cholesterol uptake and and promoting LXHcx-ABCAl/ G1 pathway-dependent cholesterol efflux.Conclusions Quercetin plays a protective role in atherosclerosis through its regulatory effect on CYF27A1/ LXHa signaling pathway-mediated macrophage cholesterol homeostasis.

An investigation of oxidative stress based effect and mechanism of Shenfu Injection on atherosclerosis of ApoE-/-mice / 中成药

AIM To investigate the effect of Shenfu Injection on atherosclerosis (AS) models of high-fat apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice,and to explore its anti-atherosclerosis mechanism through the observation of oxidative stress (OS) variation.METHODS C57 mice were used as controls.ApoE-/-mice fed with 20-week high fat diet were randomly divided into model group,Shenfu group for subsequent 4-week continuous corresponding intervention,after which the mice had their blood lipid levels measured,their levels of MPO and NOX4 identified by ELISA,and their T-SOD activity determined by hydroxylamine method,their MDA level detected by TBA,their plaque formation observation achieved by HE staining of aortic gross and red O of all the aorta,and their Nrf2 mRNA expression detected by real time qPCR method.RESULTS Compared with the control group,the model group manifested with increased contents of TG,TC,LDL,decreased HLD;decreased activity of SOD,increased contents of MPO,NOX4 and MDA,and down-regulated expression of aortic Nrf2 and Keap1 mRNA.Compared with the model group,Shenfu Injection group was observed with no obvious blood lipid level change,but a reduction of plaque area,and an effective inhibition on OS as revealed by improved levels of Nrf2 and Keap1 mRNA.CONCLUSION Shenfu Injection can activate Nrf2 and interfer the relevant enzymes,thus prevents the atherosclerosis progression through OS reduction.

1H-NMR-based Metabolomic approach to evaluating total flavonoids of Ocimum Basilicum Linn in apolipomtein E knockout mice / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To observe the effects of serum metabolites by using 1H-NMR-based metabonomic approach to explore the possible mechanisms of total flavonoids in Ocimum Basilicum Linn (OBL) on atherosclerosis in apolipomtein E knockout (ApoE-/-) mice. METHODS Six-week-old male apoE knockout mice were divided into four groups(n=10)and fed with high fet diet:model,Simv-astatin, OBL-H, OBL-M and OBL-L groups. The homogeneous male mice of C57BL/6J were used as the normol group and fed with normal chow diet. After 14 weeks,1H-NMR technology was used to ex-plore the variability of serum metabolites by the method of PLS-DA and OPLS-DA. RESULTS Com-pared with normal group,Model group showed a significant increase in the serum levels of VLDL,LDL, β-hydroxyisobutyrate,lactate,myo-inositol and showed a significant decrease in the serum levels of al-anine, glutamine, proline, carnitine, methylamine, citrate, creatine, choline, taurine, pyruvate, β-glu-cose, α-glucose, glycine, lysine. Combined with model group OBL-H, OBL-M, OBL-L groups showed the effects of regulating the levels of different metabolites of the glucose,lipid and amino acid metabo-lism.CONCLUSION The anti-atheros-clerotic activity of total flavonoids in Ocimum Basilicum Linn may be related not only to regulation of lipid metabolism,but also glycometabolism and amino acid metabolism.

Therapeutic effects of total saponins of Panax notoginseng on atherosclerosis in mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the therapeutic effects of total saponins of Panax notoginseng( PNS) on ather-osclerosis( AS) in ApoE knockout mice. Methods According to TC level, ApoE knockout mice were ran-domly assigned into six groups. Control group was fed with normal diet, and the other groups were fed with high-fat diet. After 16 weeks, mouse serum and aortas were harvested. The formation of atherosclerotic plaque was analyzed by oil red staining, the proportion of pathological lesion and the apoptosis of endothelial cells in left ventricular outflow tract were analyzed by HE staining and TUNEL. The serum level of lipids profiles, oxLDL-C were detected, and the mRNA ex-pressions of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, iNOS, eNOS, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α were detected by qPCR. Results In model group, the serum content of TC, LDL-C and HDL-C significantly increased(P<0.01); the area of atherosclerotic plaque significantly increased ( P <0.01) ; and the apoptosis of endothelial cells and the proportion of pathological lesion of left ventricular out- flow tract significantly increased(P<0.01). Also, the mRNA expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, iNOS, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α in model group increased. Compared with model group, the serum content of TC, LDL-C and HDL-C decreased after administration of PNS. The serum content of oxLDL-C was significantly reduced in PNS groups( P <0.01, P <0.05 ) . The apoptosis of endothelial cells significantly declined as well ( P <0.01, P <0.05 ) . The area of atherosclerotic plaque decreased after administration of PNS. The mRNA ex-pression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, iNOS, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α in PNS groups were down-regulated. Conclu-sions In ApoE-KO mouse model, PNS plays a role in the therapy of AS, which may be due to its modulating lipid metabolism, protecting vascular endothelium, de-creasing inflammation and inhibiting adhesion of im-mune cells.

Increased ROS production and DNA damage in monocytes are biomarkers of aging and atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND: New evidence demonstrates that aging and dyslipidemia are closely associated with oxidative stress, DNA damage and apoptosis in some cells and extravascular tissues. However, in monocytes, which are naturally involved in progression and/or resolution of plaque in atherosclerosis, this concurrence has not yet been fully investigated. In this study, we evaluated the influence of aging and hypercholesterolemia on serum pro-inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, DNA damage and apoptosis in monocytes from apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-) mice compared with age-matched wild-type C57BL/6 (WT) mice. Experiments were performed in young (2-months) and in old (18-months) male wild-type (WT) and apoE-/- mice. RESULTS: Besides the expected differences in serum lipid profile and plaque formation, we observed that atherosclerotic mice exhibited a significant increase in monocytosis and in serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines compared to WT mice. Moreover, it was observed that the overproduction of ROS, led to an increased DNA fragmentation and, consequently, apoptosis in monocytes from normocholesterolemic old mice, which was aggravated in age-matched atherosclerotic mice. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we demonstrate that a pro-inflammatory systemic status is associated with an impairment of functionality of monocytes during aging and that these parameters are fundamental extra-arterial contributors to the aggravation of atherosclerosis. The present data open new avenues for the development of future strategies with the purpose of treating atherosclerosis.

Effect of compound flavonoids on atherosclerosis in ApoE -/- mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the protective effect of compound total flavonoids on atherosclerosis in ApoE -/- knockout mice.Methods Seven-week old C57BL/6 mice considered of the normal group (n =1 5 );seven-week old ApoE -/- mice were fed with high-fat diet and were assigned randomly into 5 groups:model group,simvastatin group,the low com-pound flavonoids group,the middle compound fla-vonoids group and the high compound flavonoids group.After 1 6 weeks,mice serum and aortas were harvested.The formation of atherosclerotic plaque was analyzed by HE staining,The serum level of lipids pro-files and superoxide dismutase (SOD )were deter-rnined.The levels of IL-1 βand NF-κB in serum were detected by ELISA assay.Results Area of atheroscle-rotic lesion was significantly less in the compound fla-vones group than in model.The level of TC,TG,LDL-C,IL-1 β,NF-κB in serum of the compound flavonoids group were decreased significantly,while SOD and HDL-C increased significantly compared with the mod-el group,and the difference was significant (P <0.05).Conclusion The compound flavonoids have a good protective effect on early atherosclerosis in mice, which may be due to its alleviating effects on hyperlipi-demia and inflammation and oxidation.

Effect of Fusion Protein TAP-SSL5 on Atherosclerotic Plaque Formation in ApoE Knockout Mice / 中国药师

Objective: To investigate the effect of fusion protein tick anticoagulant peptide (TAP)-staphylococcus aureus superantigen-like protein 5 (SSL5) on the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in ApoE knockout (ApoE-/-) mice.Methods: Totally 21 male 12-week-old ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into three groups: TAP-SSL5 (3 mg·kg-1·d-1) group, SSL5 (2 mg·kg-1·d-1) group and the blank control group (pH 7.4 phosphate buffer), ip, qd, for 12 weeks.The changes of body mass were observed.The mice were fed with high cholesterol diet for 12 weeks, and then the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in plasma were detected.The aorta of mice was subjected to paraffin section and routine HE staining.The formation of atherosclerotic plaque in the aortic root was analyzed.The distribution of atherosclerotic plaques was observed by oil red O staining of the aorta.Results: Compared with that of the blank control group, the increasement of body weight of TAP-SSL5 group and the level of TC significantly decreased (P <0.001), while TG, HDL-C and LDL-C did not change significantly.The HE staining results showed that the plaque area of root slice in the aorta in TAP-SSL5 group was significantly lower than that in the blank control group (P<0.05).The red O staining of aorta showed that the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in TAP-SSL5 group was significantly smaller than that in the blank control group.Conclusion: TAP-SSL5 can significantly inhibit the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries of ApoE-/-mice.

Efeito da ingestão crônica de vinho sobre a homeostase glicêmica, lipídica e ponderal em camundongos ApoE Knockout / Effect chronic ingestion of wine on glucose, lipid and ponderal homeostasis in ApoE Knockout mices

Os benefícios à saúde relacionados ao consumo moderado de vinho incluem diferentes mecanismos, nos quais estão envolvidos tanto etanol quanto compostos fenólicos que são constituintes do mesmo. Com o objetivo de avaliar variações glicêmicas, ponderais e o depósito de triglicérides, colesterol e glicogênio hepáticos com uso regular de vinho tinto em camundongo ApoE Knockout, foram utilizados 60 camundongos machos adultos ApoE Knockout de peso médio de 30 gramas, distribuídos em três grupos de 20 animais: grupo vinho, grupo etanol e grupo água, os quais receberam 50 mL de vinho e 50 mL água, 6mL de etanol e 94mL de água e somente água respectivamente por quatro meses. Os parâmetros avaliados foram: variações glicêmicas, ponderais, acúmulo de triglicerídeos, colesterol e glicogênio hepáticos. O grupo vinho teve em relação a sua massa corporal uma área sob a curva maior que a dos outros dois grupos, mas com um percentual pequeno de aumento. A concentração do triglicerídeo hepático foi maior no grupo vinho 57% em relação ao grupo etanol, que foi 31,6% menor que o controle (p<0,01%). A concentração do colesterol hepático foi menor no grupo vinho (23,6%), assim como no grupo etanol (24,5%), (p<0,05%). A concentração do glicogênio hepático foi maior no grupo vinho (16%), porém não alcançando significado estatístico. A glicemia em jejum no dia da eutanásia foi maior no grupo etanol em relação aos demais grupos, porém não demonstrou diferença estatisticamente significante. Na análise histológica não foi observada diferença significativa entre os grupos, embora o peso médio em gramas nas gorduras, retroperitoneal e subcutâneas tenha sido aproximadamente duas vezes maior no grupo vinho. Concluiu-se que neste estudo o uso regular e crônico de vinho tinto aumentou triglicerídeo hepático, porém o álcool diminui o colesterol hepático...

The benefits to health related to regular consume of red wine includes different mechanisms in which are involved both ethanol and fenolics compounds of the wine. With the objective to evaluate glycemia, lipid profile and weight variations with regular use of red wine by ApoE Knockout mices, sixty adults ApoE Knockout mices weighing around 30g were distributed into 3 groups of 20 animals each: 1.Wine that received 50mL of wine plus 50mL of water, 2. Ethanol and Water groups, 6mL of ethanol plus 94mL of water and just water respectively for 4 months. We evaluate glycemia, weight variations and liver glycogen, triglycerides and cholesterol. The wine group had in relation to its mass body an area under the curve larger than the other two groups, but with a small percentage of increase. The concentration of liver triglycerides was higher in the wine 57% compared to ethanol group, which was 31.6% lower than the control (p<0.01%). The concentration of liver cholesterol was lower in wine (23.6%) and in ethanol group (24.5%) (p<0.05%). The liver glycogen concentration was higher in the wine (16%), although not reaching statistical significance. The fasting glicemia on the day of euthanasia was higher in the ethanol group compared to other groups, but not statistically significant difference. In histological analysis was not significantly different between groups, although the average weight in grams fat, retroperitoneal and subcutaneous was approximately two times higher in the wine group. It was concluded that in this study the regular and chronic use of red wine increased liver triglyceride, however alcohol decreases liver cholesterol. The increase of the triglyceride may be due to the high caloric value of wine or some lipogenic unknown property that led to an important increase in retroperitoneal and subcutaneous fat tissue in ApoE Knockout mice

Hydrogen sulfide inhibits expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in apoE knockout mice / 基础医学与临床

Objective To explore the effect of hydrogen sulfide(H2S) on intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in apoE knockout(apoE-/-) mice.Methods Six week-old C57BL/6J and apoE-/-mice were divided into control C57BL/6J group,apoE-/-group,apoE-/-+ sodium hydrosulfide(NaHS,a donor of H2S) group and apoE-/-+ DL-propargylglycine(PPG,an inhibitor of H2S synthase).There were 8 mice in each group.They were fed chow diet for 10 weeks.Serum H2S was measured by sulfide electrode-based method,serum ICAM-1 was determined by ELISA.Aortic ICAM-1 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.The changes of atherosclerosis plaque size were observed by oil red O staining.Results Serum H2Slevel significantly decreased in apoE-/-mice(P

Effect of rosiglitazone on serum NOS/NO in apolipoprotein E knockout mice / 第三军医大学学报

Objective To observe the effect of rosiglitazone on serum NOS/NO in apolipoprotein(apo) E knockout mice.Methods Twenty eight-week-old apoE knockout mice were intragastrically administrated 0.2 ml 5% sodium carboxymethycellulose for 12 weeks to establish the animal models of atherosclerosis,in which half of mice simultaneously received 10 mg?kg~(-1)?d~(-1) rosiglitazone as treatment.Ten wildtype mice were used as the normal control group.All mice were fed on normal chow diet.After 12 weeks,aorta were used for histomorphometric analysis by means of HE.Vessel blood was collected for plasma lipid,NO and NOS.Results Histomorphometric analysis showed that the area of atherosclerosis plaque in mice receiving rosiglitazone was significantly smaller than the mouse models of atherosclerosis,while the plasm lipid,NO and NOS were higher.Conclusion Rosiglitazone can inhibit the development of atherosclerosis,which mechanism is related to the protection of vascular endothelial function.