ABSTRACT
Cardio-cerebral vascular disease induced by atherosclerosis is a serious cause of human health. The pathogenesis of AS is very complex,and the oxidized low-density lipoprotein( ox LDL) induced foam cells formation is considered to be the most important cytological change in AS. Based on the definition of " TCM chemical biology",we clarified the chemical composition of Ilex hainanensis,the effective substances of I. hainanensis on the activity of anti-AS were screened. Then we found that saponin BF523 had the good inhibitory effect on foam cell formation. In this research,we studied the BF523 as the research object to clarify the molecular target of the active compound of I. hainanensis by foam cell formation model. The results showed that BF523 significantly inhibited the oxidation of ox LDL-induced macrophage foaming and decreased the lipid content in macrophages. BF523 had inhibited the phagocytosis of ox LDL in macrophages by reducing the mRNA and protein levels of scavenger receptor CD36,thereby inhibiting the occurrence and development of AS. These findings not only clarified the mechanism of the inhibition of foam cell formation by saponin BF523,but also provided a useful exploration for the enrichment of the theory of " TCM chemical biology".
Subject(s)
Foam Cells/drug effects , Ilex/chemistry , Lipoproteins, LDL/adverse effects , Atherosclerosis , CD36 Antigens/metabolism , Cells, Cultured , Foam Cells/cytology , HumansABSTRACT
Pu-erh tea is a unique post-fermented tea processed from tender leaves of Camellia assamica. Characteristic component puerins were produced during the microbial fermentation process.This study focuses on the therapeutic effect and mechanism of puerinâ (P1) in Pu-erh tea on ApoE-/- mice with dyslipidemia and diabetes. It was found that P1 could significantly decreased total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and fast blood glucose (FBG), and markedly improved impaired glucose tolerance (IPGTT) and insulin sensitivity (ITT) in hyperlipidemic and hyperglycemic ApoE-/- mice. Further experiments proved that P1 reduced FBG and plasma TG levels by inhibiting intestinal α-glycosidase enzymes activity and by activating low-density lipoprotein receptor respectively. This study confirmed the therapeutic effect and mechanism of P1 on ApoE-/- mice with diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Based on the good efficacy of this compound, P1 could be used as a new drug to treat the disorder of glycolipid metabolism.