Zhi-Ming Li, Ping Li, Lei Zhu, Yu-Wen Zhang, Yi-Chun Zhu, He Wang, Bo Yu, Ming-Jie Wang
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of S-propargyl-cysteine (SPRC) on atherosclerosis progression in mice. A mouse model of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque was created in ApoE-/- mice by carotid artery tandem stenosis (TS) combined with a Western diet. Macrophotography, lipid profiles, and inflammatory markers were measured to evaluate the antiatherosclerotic effects of SPRC compared to atorvastatin as a control. Histopathological analysis was performed to assess the plaque stability. To explore the protective mechanism of SPRC, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in vitro and challenged with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Cell viability was determined with a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation and mRNA expression were detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR respectively. The results showed that the lesion area quantified by en face photographs of the aortic arch and carotid artery was significantly less, plasma total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were reduced, plaque collagen content was increased and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was decreased in 80 mg/kg per day SPRC-treated mice compared with model mice. These findings support the role of SPRC in plaque stabilization. In vitro studies revealed that 100 μmol/L SPRC increased the cell viability and the phosphorylation level of eNOS after ox-LDL challenge. These results suggest that SPRC delays the progression of atherosclerosis and enhances plaque stability. The protective effect may be at least partially related to the increased phosphorylation of eNOS in endothelial cells.
期刊介绍:
Acta Physiologica Sinica (APS) is sponsored by the Chinese Association for Physiological Sciences and Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and is published bimonthly by the Science Press, China. APS publishes original research articles in the field of physiology as well as research contributions from other biomedical disciplines and proceedings of conferences and symposia of physiological sciences. Besides “Original Research Articles”, the journal also provides columns as “Brief Review”, “Rapid Communication”, “Experimental Technique”, and “Letter to the Editor”. Articles are published in either Chinese or English according to authors’ submission.