Effect of thymol on oxidative stress and inflammation‐related gene expression in high fat diet‐induced hyperlipidemic rabbits

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases contribute to one major cause of deaths worldwide, where atherosclerosis plays a key role in the development of the diseases and is often associated with oxidative stress and local inflammation. Thymol, a polyphenolic compound in thyme which has been widely used in cooking, food preservation, and folk medicine, exhibits both antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of thymol in a high fat diet‐induced hyperlipidemic animal model. New Zealand white rabbits were fed with regular chow, high fat and cholesterol diet (HC), T3 or T6 (HC supplemented with thymol at 3 or 6 mg/kg/day), for 8 weeks. Aortic intimal lipid lesion, serum lipid profiles, inflammation‐related biomarkers including C‐reactive protein (CRP), interleukin‐1 (IL‐1)β, IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, TNF‐β, and atherosclerosis‐associated indicators including vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (VCAM‐1), monocyte chemotactic protein‐1 (MCP)‐1, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐9, were significantly increased in the HC group but lessened upon thymol supplementation. Our data indicate that thymol not only displays strong antioxidant activity but also reduces aortic intimal thickness, lower serum lipids and oxidative stress, and alleviate inflammatory reactions, thereby may suppress the development of high fat diet‐induced hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.Support or Funding InformationThis study was supported by NSC102‐2320‐B‐309‐001‐MY3 to M‐F Lee and NSC99‐2320‐B‐309‐002 to Y‐M Yu.