Curcumin Protects against Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E-Knockout Mice by Inhibiting Toll-like Receptor 4...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Research
• Immunology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease.
• Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) plays a key role in atherosclerosis pathogenesis.
• Inhibiting TLR4 may offer a therapeutic strategy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate curcumin's effect on atherosclerosis development in ApoE-knockout mice.
• To determine if curcumin suppresses atherosclerosis by inhibiting TLR4 expression.
• To explore curcumin's impact on inflammatory markers and pathways.

Main Methods:

• ApoE-knockout mice were fed a high-fat diet with or without curcumin for 16 weeks.
• TLR4 expression, macrophage infiltration, and inflammatory markers (IL-1β, TNF-α, VCAM-1, ICAM-1) were assessed.
• Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity and atherosclerotic lesion extent were measured.
• In vitro experiments evaluated curcumin's effect on TLR4-induced NF-κB activation in macrophages.

Main Results:

• Curcumin supplementation significantly reduced TLR4 expression and macrophage infiltration in atherosclerotic plaques.
• Curcumin decreased levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α) and adhesion molecules (VCAM-1, ICAM-1) in aorta and plasma.
• Curcumin treatment inhibited NF-κB activity and reduced the extent of atherosclerotic lesions.
• In vitro, curcumin inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced NF-κB activation and TLR4 expression in macrophages.

Conclusions:

• Curcumin protects against atherosclerosis development in ApoE-knockout mice.
• Curcumin exerts its protective effects, at least partially, by inhibiting TLR4 expression.
• Curcumin suppresses atherosclerosis by reducing TLR4-mediated inflammatory responses.