Role of inflammation in and effects of saponin of Panax Notoginseng on formation of foam cells / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the role of zymosan in and the effects of total saponin of Panax notoginseng (PNS) on the formation of foam cells originating from peritoneal macrophages. Methods The peritoneal macrophages of mice were cultured with zymosan, PNS and oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) for 48 h. The shape of the foam cells was shown with the staining of red oil O dye. The content of total cholesterol (TC) in the foam cells was determined. The concentration of TNF? and IL-1 in the supernatant of the cell culture was measured. Results The TC content and the concentration of TNF-? and IL-1 were significantly higher in the zymosan group than in the PNS group. Conclusion Inflammation can accelerate the formation of foam cells through the pathway of inflammatory cytokines but PNS can reduce the formation with the inhibition of inflammation.