Extract of R. prevents atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: R. () has been used to treat headache, fever, and hypertension-related symptoms in Asian countries, including Korea, China, and Japan. We investigated whether dietary intake of a extract (CzE) affected atherosclerosis .

MATERIALS/METHODS: Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE) mice (n = 32) were fed a normal diet (ND), a high-cholesterol diet (HCD), an HCD containing CzE (100 mg/kg/day), or an HCD containing simvastatin (10 mg/kg/day) for 12 weeks. The anti-atherosclerotic effects were evaluated by observing changes in fatty streak lesions, immunohistochemical analysis, fluorescence imaging, lipid profiles, and western blot analysis.

RESULTS

The CzE-fed group showed a 41.6% reduction of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, CzE significantly reduced the levels of serum triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, the chemokine (C-X3-C-motif) ligand 1, the adhesion molecules vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, and E-selectin; down-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, high mobility group box-1, and cathepsin levels in the aortic sinuses and aortas of ApoE mice were also observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that the inclusion of a water extract of in a HCD is closely correlated with reducing the risk of vascular inflammatory diseases in an ApoE mouse model.