Antioxidant Effects of Baoyuan Decoction on Dysfunctional Erythrocytes in High-Fat Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemic ApoE-/- Mice

Baoyuan decoction inhibits atherosclerosis progression through suppression peroxidized fatty acid and Src/MKK4/JNK pathway-mediated CD 36 expression

BACKGROUND

Baoyuan decoction (BYD) has been widely utilized as a traditional prescription for the treatment of various conditions such as coronary heart disease, aplastic anemia, and chronic renal failure. However, its potential efficacy in improving atherosclerosis has not yet been investigated.

PURPOSE

Our research aimed to assess the potential of BYD as an inhibitor of atherosclerosis and uncover the underlying mechanism by which it acts on foam cell formation.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

High-fat diet-induced ApoE-/- mice were employed to explore the effect of BYD on atherosclerosis. The differential metabolites in feces were identified and analyzed by LC-Qtrap-MS. In addition, we utilized pharmacological inhibition of BYD on foam cell formation induced by oxLDL in THP-1 cells to elucidate the underlying mechanisms specifically in macrophages.

RESULTS

The atherosclerotic plaque burden in the aortic sinus of ApoE-/- mice was notably reduced with BYD treatment, despite no significant alterations in plasma lipids. Metabolomic analysis revealed that BYD suppressed the increased levels of peroxidized fatty acids, specifically 9/13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (9/13-HODE), in the feces of mice. As a prominent peroxidized fatty acid found in oxLDL, we confirmed that 9/13-HODE induced the overexpression of CD36 in THP-1 macrophages by upregulating PPARγ. In subsequent experiments, the decreased levels of CD36 triggered by oxLDL were observed after BYD treatment. This decrease occurred through the regulation of the Src/MMK4/JNK pathway, resulting in the suppression of lipid deposition in THP-1 macrophages.

CONCLUSIONS

These results illustrate that BYD exhibits potential anti-atherosclerotic effects by inhibiting CD36 expression to prevent foam cell formation.

Mechanism of homocysteine-mediated endothelial injury and its consequences for atherosclerosis

Homocysteine (Hcy) is an intermediate amino acid formed during the conversion from methionine to cysteine. When the fasting plasma Hcy level is higher than 15 μmol/L, it is considered as hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy). The vascular endothelium is an important barrier to vascular homeostasis, and its impairment is the initiation of atherosclerosis (AS). HHcy is an important risk factor for AS, which can promote the development of AS and the occurrence of cardiovascular events, and Hcy damage to the endothelium is considered to play a very important role. However, the mechanism by which Hcy damages the endothelium is still not fully understood. This review summarizes the mechanism of Hcy-induced endothelial injury and the treatment methods to alleviate the Hcy induced endothelial dysfunction, in order to provide new thoughts for the diagnosis and treatment of Hcy-induced endothelial injury and subsequent AS-related diseases.

Chlorogenic acid improves lipid membrane peroxidation and morphological changes in nitrite-induced erythrocyte model of methemoglobinemia

Nitrite salts are widely presented in food and their hazardous effects have been well documented. In this study, we evaluated the protective capacity of chlorogenic acid (CGA) against sodium nitrite (NaNO₂₎ -induced damage to rat erythrocytes. Two dosing regimens of CGA were undertaken to alleviate the erythrocyte injury induced by NaNO₂ . We examined the cell fragility, the level of methemoglobin and oxidative stress parameters of each treated group. In result, as compared to the CGA post-incubation, co-incubation of CGA with NaNO₂ decreased the content of advanced oxidation protein products. The protective capacity of CGA was superior to its remedial effect. We infer that the reaction of CGA and NaNO₂ may suppress the cytotoxicity of nitrite on erythrocytes and avoid the generation of oxidative stress induced by NaNO₂ . Our results suggest a novel diet strategy for preventing the adverse effects of nitrite in those people with exposure to nitrite. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Nitrite is ubiquitous in our environment and can also be formed from nitrogenous compounds by microorganisms which exist in the soil, water, and saliva. Several researches have been performed to explore the protection of natural products on the toxic effects of Nitrite. In this study, exogenous chlorogenic acid (CGA) is able to avert the membrane damage, lipid peroxidation, and morphology in nitrite-induced erythrocytes. The protective capacity of CGA shows superior to the remediate effect of CGA against NaNO₂ caused damage to erythrocytes. These results suggest a novel diet strategy for preventing the adverse effects of NaNO₂ in those people with acute exposure to nitrite.