Zouyan He1,2, Erika Kwek1, Wangjun Hao1, Hanyue Zhu1, Jianhui Liu1,3, Ka Ying Ma1, Zhen-Yu Chen4. 1. School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. 2. School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China. 3. College of Food Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing, 210023, China. 4. School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. zhenyuchen@cuhk.edu.hk.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. Consumption of hawthorn fruit is believed to be cardio-protective, yet whether it is able to suppress the TMAO-induced atherosclerosis remains unexplored. The present study was to investigate the effects of hawthorn fruit extract (HFE) on TMAO-exacerbated atherogenesis. METHODS: Five groups of male Apolipoprotein E knock-out (ApoE-/-) mice were fed a low-fat diet (LFD), a Western high-fat diet (WD), or one of the three WDs containing 0.2% TMAO (WD + TMAO), 0.2% TMAO plus 1% HFE (WD + TMAO + L-HFE), or 0.2% TMAO plus 2% HFE (WD + TMAO + H-HFE), respectively. After 12-weeks of intervention, plasma levels of TMAO, lipid profile, inflammatory biomarkers, and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured. Atherosclerotic lesions in the thoracic aorta and aortic sinus were evaluated. The sterols and fatty acids in the liver and feces were extracted and measured. Hepatic expressions of inflammatory biomarkers and antioxidant enzymes were analyzed. RESULTS: Dietary TMAO accelerated atherogenesis, exacerbated inflammation, and reduced antioxidant capacities in the plasma and the liver. TMAO promoted hepatic cholesterol accumulation by inhibiting fecal excretion of acidic sterols. HFE could dose-dependently reduce the TMAO-aggravated atherosclerosis and inflammation. HFE was also able to reverse the TMAO-induced reduction in antioxidant capacity by up-regulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), SOD2, glutathione peroxidase 3 (GSH-Px3), and catalase (CAT) in the liver. Moreover, the hepatic cholesterol content was lowered by HFE via enhanced fecal excretion of neutral and acidic sterols. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicated that HFE was able to reduce the TMAO-exacerbated atherogenesis by attenuating inflammation and improving antioxidant capacity at least in mice.
BACKGROUND:Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. Consumption of hawthorn fruit is believed to be cardio-protective, yet whether it is able to suppress the TMAO-induced atherosclerosis remains unexplored. The present study was to investigate the effects of hawthorn fruit extract (HFE) on TMAO-exacerbated atherogenesis. METHODS: Five groups of male Apolipoprotein E knock-out (ApoE-/-) mice were fed a low-fat diet (LFD), a Western high-fat diet (WD), or one of the three WDs containing 0.2% TMAO (WD + TMAO), 0.2% TMAO plus 1% HFE (WD + TMAO + L-HFE), or 0.2% TMAO plus 2% HFE (WD + TMAO + H-HFE), respectively. After 12-weeks of intervention, plasma levels of TMAO, lipid profile, inflammatory biomarkers, and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured. Atherosclerotic lesions in the thoracic aorta and aortic sinus were evaluated. The sterols and fatty acids in the liver and feces were extracted and measured. Hepatic expressions of inflammatory biomarkers and antioxidant enzymes were analyzed. RESULTS: Dietary TMAO accelerated atherogenesis, exacerbated inflammation, and reduced antioxidant capacities in the plasma and the liver. TMAO promoted hepatic cholesterol accumulation by inhibiting fecal excretion of acidic sterols. HFE could dose-dependently reduce the TMAO-aggravated atherosclerosis and inflammation. HFE was also able to reverse the TMAO-induced reduction in antioxidant capacity by up-regulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), SOD2, glutathione peroxidase 3 (GSH-Px3), and catalase (CAT) in the liver. Moreover, the hepatic cholesterol content was lowered by HFE via enhanced fecal excretion of neutral and acidic sterols. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicated that HFE was able to reduce the TMAO-exacerbated atherogenesis by attenuating inflammation and improving antioxidant capacity at least in mice.
Entities:
Keywords:
Antioxidant; Atherosclerosis; Cholesterol; Hawthorn fruit extract; Inflammation; Trimethylamine-N-oxide
Authors: Robert A Koeth; Zeneng Wang; Bruce S Levison; Jennifer A Buffa; Elin Org; Brendan T Sheehy; Earl B Britt; Xiaoming Fu; Yuping Wu; Lin Li; Jonathan D Smith; Joseph A DiDonato; Jun Chen; Hongzhe Li; Gary D Wu; James D Lewis; Manya Warrier; J Mark Brown; Ronald M Krauss; W H Wilson Tang; Frederic D Bushman; Aldons J Lusis; Stanley L Hazen Journal: Nat Med Date: 2013-04-07 Impact factor: 53.440