Notoginsenoside R1 attenuates atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE deficient mouse model

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 6; p. e99849
• Main Authors: Jia, Chenglin, Xiong, Minqi, Wang, Peiwei, Cui, Jingang, Du, Xiaoye, Yang, Qinbo, Wang, Wenjian, Chen, Yu, Zhang, Teng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 16.06.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acupuncture; Angiogenesis; Animals; Aorta; Aorta - drug effects; Aorta - pathology; Apolipoprotein E; Apolipoproteins; Apolipoproteins E - deficiency; Apolipoproteins E - metabolism; Arteriosclerosis; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis - blood; Atherosclerosis - drug therapy; Atherosclerosis - genetics; Atherosclerosis - pathology; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Chemical compounds; Chinese medicine; Cytokines; Cytokines - metabolism; Disease Models, Animal; Estrogen; Estrogens; Fibrosis; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Ginsenosides - pharmacology; Ginsenosides - therapeutic use; Glutamic acid receptors; Heart diseases; High density lipoprotein; Hospitals; Inflammation; Inflammation Mediators - metabolism; Integrative medicine; Interferon; Interleukin 2; Interleukin 6; Ischemia; Laboratory animals; Lesions; Lipid metabolism; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Lipids; Lipids - blood; Lipoproteins (high density); Lipoproteins (low density); Low density lipoprotein; Low density lipoproteins; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; MicroRNAs - genetics; MicroRNAs - metabolism; miRNA; Oxidative metabolism; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Panax notoginseng; Pharmacology; Reduction; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Rodents; Serum levels; Smooth muscle; Stroke; Tumor necrosis factor-α
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099849

Atherosclerosis is the primary cause of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The current study evaluated the interventional effects of a naturally occurring compound Notoginsenoside R1 (NR1) on atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice. The atherosclerotic lesion was significantly alleviated by NR1 treatment and this attenuation was marked by reduction in lipid deposition, fibrosis and oxidative stress. Increased serum levels of GSH and SOD and decreased level of MDH were observed in NR1-treated ApoE-/- mice. NR1 treatment also significantly decreased the levels of CHO, TG, ox-LDL and increased the level of HDL. Additionally, the levels of inflammatory cytokines including IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α and γ-IFN were markedly reduced in NR1-treated ApoE-/- mice. Furthermore, significantly increased aortic expression of miR-26a, miR-21, miR-126a, miR-132, miR-146 and miR-155 and decreased expression of miR-20a and miR-92a were observed in the vehicle-treated ApoE-/- mice. While NR1 treatment led to a significant reduction in the expression of miR-21, miR-26a, miR-126 and increased expression of miR-20a. Collectively, our results demonstrated for the first time the anti-atherosclerotic effects of NR1, which could be in part mediated through its multiple targeting effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism and microRNA expression. These results therefore justify further evaluation of NR1 as a therapeutic agent treating atherosclerosis.