Natural phenylpropanoids protect endothelial cells against oxidized LDL-induced cytotoxicity

There is increasing evidence that oxidized low-density lipoproteins (Ox-LDL) might be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and it has been reported that polyphenols inhibit LDL peroxidation and atherosclerosis. Minimally oxidized LDL (mOx-LDL) induce cytotoxicity in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). The goal of this study was to test the protective effect of five natural polyphenols isolated from the aerial parts of Marrubium vulgare L. against mOx-LDL-induced cytotoxicity in BAEC. Four phenylpropanoid glycosides (acteoside 1, forsythoside B 2, arenarioside 3, ballotetroside 4) and one non-glycosidic derivative (caffeoyl-l-malic acid 5) were tested. These compounds inhibited both copper (Cu 2+)- and 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced in vitro LDL oxidation and preserved the morphological aspects of BAEC during their incubation with mOx-LDL. Furthermore, they reduced the accumulation of aldehydes in the cultured medium during the incubation of BAEC with mOx-LDL and prevented cellular LDH leakage during this period. These data suggest that natural phenylpropanoids inhibit mOx-LDL-induced cellular toxicity and that inhibition of lipid peroxidation could be a key mechanism in the cytoprotective effect of these molecules.