Gardenia jasminoides inhibits TNF‐α‐induced adhesion molecule and NF‐κB expression

Abstract

Inflammatory mediators such as TNF‐α and interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), which can enhance binding of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) to endothelium and upregulate expressions of leukocyte adhesion molecules on endothelium during atherogenesis. The present study was designed to examine the effect of ethanol extract of Gardenia jasminoides (EGJ) on vascular inflammation response in primary cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We found that TNF‐α‐induced intracellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1), vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (VCAM‐1), and endothelial‐selectin (E‐selectin) protein expressions and mRNA levels were inhibited by EGJ in HUVECs. A further analysis indicated that EGJ attenuated TNF‐α‐induced IκB phosphorylation, NF‐κB p65 expression, suggesting that EGJ primarily affects TNF‐α‐induced NF‐κB signaling pathway. In a functional study, EGJ dose‐dependently attenuated monocyte adhesion to endothelial monolayer. Taken together, we provided here the first evidence showing that EGJ is able to inhibit TNF‐α‐induced NF‐κB activation, adhesion molecule expression, and monocyte‐endothelial interaction, suggesting an anti‐inflammatory role of EGJ and possibly explained EGJ can prevent vascular diseases.