Effect of Xiongshao capsule on caveolin-1 and cyclophilin A in rabbits with atherosclerosis

Abstract

Objective To study the effect of Xiongshao Capsule (XSC) on the key reverse transcription protein caveolin-1 (cav-1) and cyclophilin A in rabbits with atherosclerosis (AS) and to investigate the possible mechanism of XSC in preventing AS through promoting reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). Methods A total of 60 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into control group, model group, low-dose XSC group, middle-dose XSC group, large-dose XSC group and simvastatin group. The rabbits with AS were remodeled by feeding with simple hypercholesterol diet. The thoracic aortas were stripped for observation of artery plaque formation by HE staining after 15 weeks of drugs delivery. The cav-1 and cyclophilin A in aortas was tested by Western blotting (WB) and the expression of cav-1 and cyclophilin A mRNA in aortas was tested by Real-time PCR, which were designed to observe the effects of experiment drugs on proteins related to RCT proteins. Results Compared with control group, cav-1 in model group was significantly lower (P<0.01). The cav-1 levels in middle-dose and large-dose XSC group were significantly higher (all P<0.05) than in model group. The expression of cyclophilin A in model group was significantly higher than in control group (P=0.01), and those in middle-dose and large-dose XSC group were significantly lower than in model group (all P<0.01). Cav-1 mRNA in model group was significantly lower than in control group (P<0.01). Cav-1 mRNA level in large-dose XSC group and simvastatin group were significantly higher (all P<0.05) than in model group. The expression of cyclophilin A mRNA in model group and control group was similar (P=0.88), and its expression in large-dose XSC group and simvastatin group were significantly higher than in model and control groups (all P<0.01). Conclusions XSC can regulate the expression of cav-1 and cyclophilin A, and the mechanism of its anti-atherosclerotic effect may involve the promotion of reverse cholesterol transportation in vascular smooth muscle cells. Key words: Atherosclerosis; Caveolin-1; Cyclophilin A; Xiongshao capsule