Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital, Jining Medical College, 272029, Shandong, China.
Phytother Res. 2010 Mar;24(3):393-8. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2958.
Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), the main extract from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Astragalus membranaceus, has been reported to benefit the treatment of immune-inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders. In atherosclerotic plaques, proinflammatory cytokines exert adverse effects on lipids thereby aggravating atherosclerosis. Recent evidence shows that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) can down-regulate the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), which plays a vital role in reverse cholesterol transport and determines the process of atherosclerosis. In the present study, the effects of APS on ABCA1 expression, cholesterol effluent rate and total cholesterol content of THP-1 derived foam cells exposed to TNF-alpha were investigated. Compared with the foam cells exposed to TNF-alpha, ABCA1 expression was promoted in the presence of APS. Consequently the cholesterol effluent rate increased and the total cholesterol content decreased significantly. TNF-alpha could enhance the activity of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) in the foam cells. This effect could be attenuated by APS. These findings suggest that APS could protect ABCA1 against the lesion of TNF-alpha in THP-1 derived foam cells, which may contribute to its antiatherosclerotic properties.
黄芪多糖（APS）是从传统中药黄芪中提取的主要成分，据报道对治疗免疫炎症性疾病和代谢紊乱有益。在动脉粥样硬化斑块中，促炎细胞因子对脂质产生不利影响，从而加重动脉粥样硬化。最近的证据表明，肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）可以下调三磷酸腺苷结合盒转运体 A1（ABCA1）的表达，ABCA1 在胆固醇逆转运中起关键作用，并决定动脉粥样硬化的进程。在本研究中，研究了 APS 对 TNF-α作用下 THP-1 泡沫细胞 ABCA1 表达、胆固醇流出率和总胆固醇含量的影响。与 TNF-α作用下的泡沫细胞相比，APS 存在时 ABCA1 的表达得到促进。因此，胆固醇流出率显著增加，总胆固醇含量明显降低。TNF-α可增强泡沫细胞中核因子-κB（NF-κB）的活性，APS 可减弱这种作用。这些发现表明，APS 可保护 ABCA1 免受 TNF-α在 THP-1 衍生泡沫细胞中的损伤，这可能有助于其抗动脉粥样硬化特性。
