α-Lipoic acid alleviates myocardial injury and induces M2b macrophage polarization after myocardial infarction via HMGB1/NF-kB signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a serious cardiovascular disease with a poor prognosis. Macrophages are the predominant immune cells in patients with MI and macrophage regulation during the different phases of MI has important consequences for cardiac recovery. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) plays a critical role in MI by modulating the number of cardiomyocytes and macrophages.

METHODS

MI mice were generated by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Macrophages were exposed to hypoxia to establish a hypoxia model and M1 polarization was induced by LPS and IFN-γ. Different groups of macrophages and MI mice were treated with ALA. The cardiomyocytes were treated with various macrophage supernatants and the cardiac function, cytokine levels, and pathology were also analyzed. Factors related to apoptosis, autophagy, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were assessed. Finally, the HMGB1/NF-κB pathway was identified.

RESULTS

ALA promoted M2b polarization in normal cells and suppressed inflammatory cytokines during hypoxia. ALA inhibited ROS and MMP production in vitro. Supernatants containing ALA inhibited apoptosis and autophagy in hypoxic cardiomyocytes. Moreover, ALA suppressed the HMGB1/NF-κB pathway in macrophages, which may be a potential mechanism for attenuating MI.

CONCLUSION

ALA alleviates MI and induces M2b polarization via the HMGB1/NF-κB pathway, impeding inflammation, oxidation, apoptosis, and autophagy, and might be a potential strategy for MI treatment.