Liu Meng, Mao Lifei, Daoud Abdelkader, Hassan Waseem, Zhou Liangliang, Lin Jiawei, Liu Jun, Shang Jing
National Center for Drug Screening & State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu Province 210009, PR China; Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Xinjiang Medical University, Xinjiang, Urumqi 830011, PR China.
National Center for Drug Screening & State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu Province 210009, PR China.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2015 Nov 5;766:37-45. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2015.09.032. Epub 2015 Sep 28.
The recruitment of monocytes to the active endothelial cells is an early step in the formation of atherosclerotic lesions; therefore, the inhibition of monocyte-endothelial cells interactions may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for atherosclerosis. Recent studies suggest that β-elemene can protect against atherosclerosis in vivo and vitro; however, the mechanism underlying the anti-atherosclerotic effect by β-elemene is not clear yet. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of β-elemene on the monocyte-endothelial cells interactions in the initiation of atherosclerosis in vitro. Our results showed that β-elemene protects human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) from hydrogen peroxide-induced endothelial cells injury in vitro. Besides, this molecule inhibits monocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration across inflamed endothelium through the suppression of the nuclear factor-kappa B-dependent expression of cell adhesion molecules. Further, β-elemene decreases generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prevents the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in HUVECs. In conclusion, this study would provide a new pharmacological evidence of the significance of β-elemene as a future drug for prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.
单核细胞募集到活跃的内皮细胞是动脉粥样硬化病变形成的早期步骤；因此，抑制单核细胞与内皮细胞的相互作用可能成为动脉粥样硬化的一种潜在治疗策略。最近的研究表明，β-榄香烯在体内和体外均可预防动脉粥样硬化；然而，β-榄香烯抗动脉粥样硬化作用的潜在机制尚不清楚。在本研究中，我们旨在探讨β-榄香烯在体外对动脉粥样硬化起始过程中单核细胞与内皮细胞相互作用的影响。我们的结果表明，β-榄香烯在体外可保护人脐静脉内皮细胞（HUVECs）免受过氧化氢诱导的内皮细胞损伤。此外，该分子通过抑制细胞粘附分子的核因子-κB依赖性表达，抑制单核细胞粘附和跨炎症内皮的跨内皮迁移。此外，β-榄香烯可减少活性氧（ROS）的生成，并防止HUVECs中丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）信号通路的激活。总之，本研究将为β-榄香烯作为未来预防和治疗动脉粥样硬化药物的重要性提供新的药理学证据。
