BACKGROUND: Modern laboratory and clinical studies have shown that baicalin can exert anti-atherosclerosis effect through multiple pathways, such as antioxidant stress, inhibition of proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, but its mechanism is still unclear.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of baicalin on serum lipid, nitric oxide, nuclear factor kappa B, and its downstream inflammatory cytokines in mouse models of atherosclerosis.
METHODS: Sixty male ApoE-/- mice were randomized into five groups (n=10 per group). The control group was fed with normal diet, and the other five groups were fed with high-fat diet for 12 weeks to establish the atherosclerotic model. Subsequently, the control group and model group were given saline by gavage. The atorvastatin group was given atorvastatin 5 mg/(kg•d) by gavage. The baicalin group was given baicalin 50, 75, and 100 mg/(kg•d) by gavage. After 4 weeks of administration, blood lipid level was detected by automatic biochemical analyzer. Oil red O staining was used to observe development of the atherosclerotic plaques. Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines were detected by ELISA. The protein expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B p65 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in aorta were detected by western blot assay. The level of nitric oxide was detected by nitrate reductase assay. The mRNA expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B p65, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in aortic tissue were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Compared with the control group, the total cholesterol, triacylglycerol and low-density lipoprotein levels were increased (P < 0.05), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was decreased (P < 0.05), the aortic intima thickness and plaques area were increased (P < 0.05), tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 1 levels were increased (P < 0.05), nitric oxide level was decreased (P < 0.05), the protein expression of nuclear factor kappa B p65 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 was increased (P < 0.05), the mRNA expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B p65, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha were increased (P < 0.05) in the model group. (2) Compared with the model group, the lipid level in the atorvastatin and the low-, medium- and high-dose baicalin groups was improved significantly (P < 0.05), inflammatory factor levels were decreased (P < 0.05), nitric oxide level was increased (P < 0.05), the aortic intima thickness and plaques area were reduced, the protein expression of nuclear factor kappa B p65 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 was reduced (P < 0.05), and the mRNA expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B p65, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha were reduced (P < 0.05). The improvement of baicalin was in a dose-dependent manner. (3) Compared with the atorvastatin group, the expression levels of total cholesterol, interleukin 1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in the high-dose baicalin group were decreased (P < 0.05) and the level of nitric oxide was increased (P < 0.05). (4) These results show that baicalin may prevent the formation of atherosclerosis by improving blood lipid and suppressing the inflammatory pathway of nuclear factor kappa B.
中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：组织构建；骨细胞；软骨细胞；细胞培养；成纤维细胞；血管内皮细胞；骨质疏松；组织工程