Cardiovascular Biochemistry Group, Research Institute of the Hospital de Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), 08041 Barcelona, Spain.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola, Spain.
Biomolecules. 2020 May 29;10(6):829. doi: 10.3390/biom10060829.
Mimetic peptides are potential therapeutic agents for atherosclerosis. d-[,,,,,,,,,]apolipoprotein (apo) J (D-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ) is a 10-residue peptide that is predicted to form a class G* amphipathic helix 6 from apoJ; it shows anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic properties. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of d-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ in low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice(LDLR-KO) on the development of atherosclerosis and lipoprotein function. Fifteen-week-old female LDLR-KO mice fed an atherogenic Western-type diet were treated for eight weeks with d-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ peptide, a scrambled peptide, or vehicle. Peptides were administered subcutaneously three days per week (200 µg in 100 µL of saline). After euthanasia, blood and hearts were collected and the aortic arch was analyzed for the presence of atherosclerotic lesions. Lipoproteins were isolated and their composition and functionality were studied. The extent of atherosclerotic lesions was 43% lower with d-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ treatment than with the vehicle or scramble. The lipid profile was similar between groups, but the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) of d-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ-treated mice had a higher antioxidant capacity and increased ability to promote cholesterol efflux than the control group. In addition, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from d-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ-treated mice was more resistant to induced aggregation and presented lower electronegativity than in mice treated with d-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ. Our results demonstrate that the d-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ peptide prevents the extent of atherosclerotic lesions, which could be partially explained by the improvement of lipoprotein functionality.
模拟肽是动脉粥样硬化的潜在治疗剂。载脂蛋白(apo)J 的 10 肽(D-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ)预计形成 apoJ 中的 G* 两亲性螺旋 6;它显示出抗炎和抗动脉粥样硬化特性。在本研究中,我们分析了 D-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ 在低密度脂蛋白受体敲除小鼠(LDLR-KO)中对动脉粥样硬化发展和脂蛋白功能的影响。15 周龄雌性 LDLR-KO 小鼠喂食致动脉粥样硬化的西方饮食 8 周,并用 D-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ 肽、乱序肽或载体处理。肽每周皮下给药 3 天(100µL 盐水中 200µg)。安乐死后采集血液和心脏,并分析主动脉弓是否存在动脉粥样硬化病变。分离脂蛋白并研究其组成和功能。与载体或乱序肽相比,D-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ 处理使动脉粥样硬化病变程度降低 43%。各组的脂质谱相似,但 D-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ 处理组的高密度脂蛋白(HDL)具有更高的抗氧化能力和增加的胆固醇流出能力,高于对照组。此外,与 D-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ 处理的小鼠相比,D-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ 处理的小鼠的低密度脂蛋白(LDL)更能抵抗诱导的聚集,并且具有较低的电负性。我们的结果表明,D-[,,,,,,,,,]apoJ 肽可预防动脉粥样硬化病变的程度,这部分可以通过改善脂蛋白功能来解释。