The Journal of nutritional biochemistry
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Vascular inflammation plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Luteolin, a naturally occurring flavonoid present in many medicinal plants and some commonly consumed fruits and vegetables, has received wide attention for its potential to improve vascular function in vitro. However, its effect in vivo and the molecular mechanism of luteolin at physiological concentrations remain unclear. ⋯ Immunohistochemistry studies further show that luteolin treatment also reduced VCAM-1 and monocyte-derived F4/80-positive macrophages in the aorta of TNF-α-treated mice. In conclusion, luteolin protects against TNF-α-induced vascular inflammation in both in vitro and in vivo models. This anti-inflammatory effect of luteolin may be mediated via inhibition of the NF-κB-mediated pathway.
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Interaction between adipocytes and macrophages has been suggested to play a central role in the pathogenesis of obesity. Ceramide, a sphingolipid de novo synthesized from palmitate, is known to stimulate pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion from multiple types of cells. To clarify whether de novo synthesized ceramide contributes to cytokine dysregulation in adipocytes and macrophages, we observed cytokine secretion in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes (L1) and RAW264.7 macrophages (RAW) cultured alone or co-cultured under the suppression of de novo ceramide synthesis. ⋯ The co-culture of L1 with RAW markedly augmented IL-6 and MCP-1 levels in media. Myriocin or fumonisin B1 significantly lowered these cytokine levels and suppressed the gene expression of TNF-α and MCP-1 in RAW and of IL-6 and MCP-1 in L1. In conclusion, de novo synthesized ceramide partially mediates the palmitate effects on pro-inflammatory adipokines and is possibly involved in the interaction with macrophages.
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Sulforaphane, a naturally occurring isothiocyanate present in cruciferous vegetables, has received wide attention for its potential to improve vascular function in vitro. However, its effect in vivo and the molecular mechanism of sulforaphane at physiological concentrations remain unclear. Here, we report that a sulforaphane concentration as low as 0.5 μM significantly inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced adhesion of monocytes to human umbilical vein endothelial cells, a key event in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis both in static and under flow conditions. ⋯ Immunohistochemistry studies showed that sulforaphane treatment also reduced vascular adhesion molecule-1 and monocyte-derived F4/80-positive macrophages in the aorta of TNF-α-treated mice. In conclusion, sulforaphane at physiological concentrations protects against TNF-α-induced vascular endothelial inflammation, in both in vitro and in vivo models. This anti-inflammatory effect of sulforaphane may be, at least in part, associated with interfering with the NF-κB pathway.
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Infrasound, a kind of common environmental noise and a major contributor of vibroacoustic disease, can induce the central nervous system (CNS) damage. However, no relevant anti-infrasound drugs have been reported yet. Our recent studies have shown that infrasound resulted in excessive microglial activation rapidly and sequential inflammation, revealing a potential role of microglia in infrasound-induced CNS damage. ⋯ EGCG also inhibited infrasound-induced activation of primary microglia in vitro and decreased the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the supernatants of microglial culture, which were toxic to cultured neurons. Furthermore, EGCG attenuated infrasound-induced increases in nuclear NF-κB p65 and phosphorylated IκBα, and ameliorated infrasound-induced decrease in IκB in microglia. Therefore, our study provides the first evidence that EGCG acts against infrasound-induced neuronal impairment by inhibiting microglia-mediated inflammation through a potential NF-κB pathway-related mechanism, suggesting that EGCG can be used as a promising drug for the treatment of infrasound-induced CNS damage.
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Comparative Study
Insight into the impact of dietary saturated fat on tissue-specific cellular processes underlying obesity-related diseases.
This study investigated the influence of three high-fat diets (HFDs), differing in the percentage of total calories from saturated fat (SF) (6%, 12%, 24%) but identical in total fat (40%), for a 16-week period in mice on a variety of tissue-specific cellular processes believed to be at the root of obesity-related diseases. Specifically, we examined ectopic lipid accumulation, oxidative capacity [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) mRNA and protein; mtDNA; Cox IV and cytochrome C protein; citrate synthase activity; and gene expression of fission 1, mitofusin (Mfn) 1 and Mfn2], oxidative stress (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (binding immunoglobulin protein, activating transcription factor 6-p50, p-eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha and x-box binding protein 1 spliced protein), inflammatory [p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p-nuclear factor kappa-B, p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase) and insulin signaling (p-Akt), and inflammation [tumor necrosis factor-alpha, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, interleukin-6, F4/80, toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4 gene expression] in various tissues, including the adipose tissue, liver, skeletal muscle and heart. ⋯ However, compared to the 6%-SF and 24%-SF diets, consumption of the 12%-SF diet resulted in the greatest degree of dysregulation (hepatic ER and oxidative stress, JNK activation, increased F4/80 gene expression and down-regulation of adipose tissue Akt signaling). These findings suggest that the saturated fatty acid composition of an HFD can greatly influence the processes responsible for obesity-related diseases - nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, in particular - as well as provide further evidence that the mechanisms at the root of these diseases are diet and tissue sensitive.