Effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on atherosclerosis in mice by up-regulating adiponectin expression / 药物评价研究

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on adiponectin (APN) expression and the mechanism of lowering blood-lipid and anti-inflammation in atherosclerotic (AS) mice.Methods C57BL/6J mice with normal feed were chosen as control group.Thirty-two ApoE-/-mice with high cholesterol diet were successfully established as AS models,and then the mice were randomly divided into model group and three LBP groups,which were feed with high,medium,and low dose of LBP.After feeding for four weeks,aortic blood and tissues were collected.Blood-lipid,inflammatory factors,endothelin-1 (ET-1),APN,AdipoR1,and AMPK pathway related protein expression were detected.Differentiated 3T3-L1 cells were divided into control group,LBP group,and LBP + BML-275 group.Triglyceride (TG),inflammatory factors,APN,AdipoR1,and AMPK pathway related protein expression was investigated.Results In mice,compared with the control group,typical AS pathomorphologic changes were found in aorta and the levels of TG,total cholesterol (TC),nitric oxide (NO),ET-1,interleukin-6 (IL-6),and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) in the model group were significantly increased,while the protein expression of HDL-C,APN,AdipoR1,PPARα,AMPKα,and p-AMPK-α and Acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO) mRNA expression was reduced.Compared with the model group,AS pathomorphologic state was obviously improved in aorta and the amount of TG,TC,NO,ET-1,IL-6,and TNF-α in LBP groups were markedly decreased,while the protein expression of HDL-C,APN,AdipoR1,PPARα,AMPKα,p-AMPKα,and ACO mRNA expression was up-regulated.These changes were all in a dose-dependent manner.In differentiated 3T3-L1 fat cells,compared with control group,LBP enhanced the expression of APN,AdipoR1,PPARα,AMPKα,p-AMPKα,and ACO,but decreased the amount of TG,IL-6,and TNF-α.Compared with LBP group,the levels of TG,IL-6 and TNF-α was notably increased in BML-275 group.Conclusion LBP up-regulates the expression of APN and AdipoR1,activates APN/AMPK pathway,plays a role in lowering blood-lipid and anti-inflammation,and thus relieves AS in mice.