Petroleum ether extract of Njavara rice (Oryza sativa) bran upregulates the JAK2-STAT3-mediated anti-inflammatory profile in macrophages and aortic endothelial cells promoting regression of atherosclerosis.

"Njavara" (Oryza sativa L.) is a unique rice variety grown in Kerala that is reported to have significantly higher antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, chemical indices, and bioactive components compared with staple rice varieties. However, the role of NBE in reversing the atherosclerosis development remains unclear. The present study aimed to elucidate the role of NBE in promoting atherosclerotic regression. Male New Zealand white breed rabbits were divided into three groups. Group I was the control, group II was the regression control, and group III was NBE treated (100 mg/kg body mass). Serum and tissue lipids, CRP, antioxidant enzyme activities, mRNA, and protein expression of genes of RTC and mRNA expression of cytokines were studied. The current study showed that hypercholesterolemic rabbits treated with NBE decreased the serum and tissue lipids concentrations, ApoB expression, and CRP levels and enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes and PON1expression, JAK2, STAT3, ABCA1, and ApoA. Our results indicate that NBE attenuates proinflammatory cytokine production (IL-1ß), enhanced expression and interactions of ABCA1/ApoA1 leading to JAK2/STAT3 activation in macrophages switching to an anti-inflammatory milieu in the system, and enhanced expression of IL-10 and decreased expression of ApoB, indicating that treatment with NBE facilitates plaque regression.

Dietary Njavara rice bran oil reduces experimentally induced hypercholesterolaemia by regulating genes involved in lipid metabolism.

The present study was carried out to evaluate the anti-atherogenic effect of Njavara rice bran oil (NjRBO) on atherosclerosis by modulating enzymes and genes involved in lipid metabolism in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet (HCD). Adult male rats (Sprague-Dawley strain, weighing 100-120 g) were divided into three groups of nine animals each. Group I served as the control, group II were fed a HCD and group III were fed a HCD and NjRBO (100 mg/kg body weight). The study duration was 60 d. Serum and tissue lipid profile, atherogenic index, enzymes of lipid metabolism, plasma C-reactive protein levels, serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activities, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, gene and protein expression of paraoxonase 1 (PON1), PPARα, ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), apoB and apoA1 in the liver were quantified. Total cholesterol, TAG, phospholipid, NEFA, LDL-cholesterol concentrations in the serum and liver, lipogenic enzyme activities, hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity and atherogenic index were significantly increased in HCD-fed rats, but they decreased after treatment with NjRBO. HDL-cholesterol level and lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase activity were increased in the NjRBO-treated group, but decreased in the HCD-fed group. The expression levels of ABCA1, apoA1, PON1 and PPARα were found to be significantly increased in NjRBO-treated group compared with the HCD-fed group; however, the expression level of apoB was found to be higher in HCD-fed group and lower in the NjRBO-treated group. These data suggest that NjRBO possesses an anti-atherogenic property by modulating lipid metabolism and up-regulating genes involved in reverse cholesterol transport and antioxidative defence mechanism through the induction of the gene expression PON1.