Fuzi Polysaccharide Inhibits Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Calcification via Ceramide Signaling / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ABSTRACT

@#【Objective】The aim of this study is to investigate whether Fuzi polysaccharide（FPS）inhibits calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells（VSMC）and its underlying mechanism involving ceramide signaling.【Methods】We used Ox- LDL to induce in vitro model of human VSMC calcification in this study. FPS at different concentrations was used to treat human VSMC. Cell calcification was assessed by alizarin red staining. The mRNA expressions of osteogenic differentiation markers including Msx2，Osterix and BMP2，and contractile marker SMA were analyzed by qRT- PCR. The protein expressions of Msx2 and BMP2 were analyzed by western blot. Cell apoptosis was examined by TUNEL. Additionally，we investigated the effect of FPS on ceramide levels and N- SMase activity in VSMC. 【Results】We found that FPS inhibits Ox- LDL- induced VSMC apoptosis and calcification. Ceramide participates in Ox- LDL- induced apoptosis and calcification of VSMC. FPS reduces N- SMase activity and ceramide levels in Ox- LDL- treated VSMC. Collectively ， reducing N-SMase activity and ceramide levels could become a promising strategy for the treatment of vascular calcification.【Conclusion】We demonstrate that FPS attenuates VSMC calcification via targeting ceramide signaling.