Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a severe cardiovascular disease characterized by narrowing of the lumen, plaque formation, and blood flow turbulence as a result of cholesterol and lipid accumulation in the inner lining of arteries. Bishkhapra (Trianthema portulacastrum Linn.) is a well-known common weed belonging to the family Aizoaceae. Several bioactive compounds have been isolated from this weed and widely used against several diseases. The present study evaluated the protective and therapeutic efficacies of T. portulacastrum against atherosclerosis in a rat model. The animals were divided into the sham, control (diabetes- + atherosclerosis-inducing diet), 100 mg/kg T. portulacastrum treatment, 200 mg/kg T. portulacastrum treatment, and positive control groups. Blood glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, and other lipid parameters, as well as the expression of G-protein-coupled receptor 124 (GPR124), were measured. Glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides were significantly reduced to near normal levels. The serum levels of fibrinogen, sVCAM-1, and oxidized low density lipoproteins were substantially increased in control rats. Treatment with the T. portulacastrum extract reversed these levels to near normal levels. The mRNA expression of GPR124 was increased by 150% in the control group. However, treatment with T. portulacastrum extract decreased the mRNA expression up to 40% compared with the control group. Rats treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg T. portulacastrum extract showed a decrease in GPR124 protein expression by 9.5% and 33.3%, respectively. Taken together, the results suggest that an extract of T. portulacastrum is effective against atherosclerosis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
Highlights
Atherosclerosis is a severe cardiovascular disease (Bader 2010) characterized by narrowing of the lumen, plaque formation, and blood flow turbulence resulting from cholesterol and lipid accumulation in the inner lining of arteries (Ye et al 2013)
The blood glucose level was significantly reduced by 20.6% and 58.3% in control rats supplemented with 100 and 200 mg/kg T. portulacastrum extract, respectively (Fig. 1, P < 0.05), and by 65% in rats treated with glibenclamide, compared with untreated rats (Fig. 1; P < 0.05)
The total cholesterol level was increased by 131.7% in the diabetic rats but was significantly reduced by 24.6% and 42.2% in the control rats supplemented with 100 and 200 mg/kg T. portulacastrum extract, respectively (Fig. 2; P < 0.05), and by 49% in rats treated with glibenclamide, compared with the untreated controls (Fig. 2, P < 0.05)
Summary
Atherosclerosis is a severe cardiovascular disease (Bader 2010) characterized by narrowing of the lumen, plaque formation, and blood flow turbulence resulting from cholesterol and lipid accumulation in the inner lining of arteries (Ye et al 2013). Risk factors of atherosclerosis are abnormal lipid metabolism, dysfunction of arterial lining and inflammatory reactions (Jaipersad et al 2014). An association between atherosclerosis risk and plasma lipid levels has been reported (Matsumoto et al.2014). It has been reported that an increased blood level of low density lipoprotein (LDL) is the primary cause of atherosclerosis (Ference et al 2017), and that the development of atherosclerosis, despite a low LDL level, is associated with several risk factors, including diabetes mellitus, smoking, genetic factors, and male sex (Aikawa et al 2001). G-protein-coupled receptor 124 (GPR124) is an orphan receptor of the GPCR subfamily. Gong et al (2018) reported that GPR124 increases the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis via activation of inflammation
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