Department of Molecular Genetics, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2013 Aug 28;14(9):17664-79. doi: 10.3390/ijms140917664.
Acute and chronic inflammation is characterized by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, dysregulation of mitochondrial metabolism and abnormal immune function contributing to cardiovascular diseases and sepsis. Clinical and epidemiological studies suggest potential beneficial effects of dietary interventions in inflammatory diseases but understanding of how nutrients work remains insufficient. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of apigenin, an anti-inflammatory flavonoid abundantly found in our diet, in endothelial cells during inflammation. Here, we show that apigenin reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced apoptosis by decreasing ROS production and the activity of caspase-3 in endothelial cells. Apigenin conferred protection against LPS-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and reestablished normal mitochondrial complex I activity, a major site of electron leakage and superoxide production, suggesting its ability to modulate endothelial cell metabolic function during inflammation. Collectively, these findings indicate that the dietary compound apigenin stabilizes mitochondrial function during inflammation preventing endothelial cell damage and thus provide new translational opportunities for the use of dietary components in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases.
急性和慢性炎症的特征是活性氧（ROS）产生增加、线粒体代谢失调和免疫功能异常，这导致了心血管疾病和败血症。临床和流行病学研究表明，饮食干预对炎症性疾病可能有潜在的益处，但人们对营养素如何发挥作用的理解仍然不足。在本研究中，我们评估了在炎症过程中，一种在我们饮食中丰富存在的抗炎类黄酮芹菜素对内皮细胞的影响。在这里，我们表明，芹菜素通过降低 ROS 产生和 caspase-3 的活性，减少了脂多糖（LPS）诱导的细胞凋亡。芹菜素对 LPS 诱导的线粒体功能障碍提供了保护，并重新建立了正常的线粒体复合物 I 活性，这是电子泄漏和超氧化物产生的主要部位，表明其在炎症过程中调节内皮细胞代谢功能的能力。总的来说，这些发现表明，膳食化合物芹菜素在炎症过程中稳定了线粒体功能，防止了内皮细胞损伤，从而为饮食成分在预防和治疗炎症性疾病中的应用提供了新的转化机会。
