Zhou Shuaishuai, Wang Zi, Hao Yanling, An Peng, Luo Junjie, Luo Yongting
Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, Luohe 462300, China.
Nutrients. 2023 Sep 24;15(19):4120. doi: 10.3390/nu15194120.
Dandelion (), a member of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, is well known as the traditional medical plant. Dandelion polysaccharides, a natural active ingredient extracted from the dandelion, possess immune regulation, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-aggregation properties. These properties suggest that dandelion polysaccharides might alleviate atherosclerosis. Using an atherosclerotic mice model fed a high-fat diet, we investigated the impact and potential mechanism of dandelion polysaccharides on atherosclerosis. We observed that dandelion polysaccharides significantly reduced the levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in serum, while elevated the high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level. Concomitantly, dandelion polysaccharides reduced the area of atherosclerotic lesions and necrotic core of the aortic sinus, and increased the collagen content. Mechanistic studies showed that dandelion polysaccharides were effective in reducing serum malondialdehyde levels while elevating the enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. Furthermore, dandelion polysaccharides reduced the expression of chemotactic factor and pro-inflammatory cytokines (, , and ) in atherosclerotic lesions. Overall, these results indicated that dandelion polysaccharides may take an important part in the attenuation of atherosclerosis via its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
蒲公英（）是菊科植物，作为传统药用植物广为人知。蒲公英多糖是从蒲公英中提取的一种天然活性成分，具有免疫调节、抗炎、抗氧化和抗聚集特性。这些特性表明蒲公英多糖可能减轻动脉粥样硬化。我们使用高脂饮食喂养的动脉粥样硬化小鼠模型，研究了蒲公英多糖对动脉粥样硬化的影响及其潜在机制。我们观察到，蒲公英多糖显著降低了血清中甘油三酯、总胆固醇和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇的水平，同时提高了高密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平。与此同时，蒲公英多糖减少了主动脉窦动脉粥样硬化病变和坏死核心的面积，并增加了胶原蛋白含量。机制研究表明，蒲公英多糖可有效降低血清丙二醛水平，同时提高超氧化物歧化酶和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶的酶活性。此外，蒲公英多糖降低了动脉粥样硬化病变中趋化因子和促炎细胞因子（、和）的表达。总体而言，这些结果表明蒲公英多糖可能通过其抗氧化和抗炎特性在减轻动脉粥样硬化中发挥重要作用。
