Saponins from Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus attenuate atherosclerosis by inhibiting macrophage foam cell formation and inflammation

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 12917 - 13
• Main Authors: Zhao, Shutian, Guo, Huijun, Qiu, Liang, Zhong, Chao, Xue, Jing, Qin, Manman, Zhang, Yifeng, Xu, Chuanming, Xie, Yanfei, Yu, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 05-06-2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/154/436; 692/699/75/593/2100; Allium - chemistry; Animals; Anti-inflammatory agents; Apolipoprotein E; Apolipoproteins E - deficiency; Arteriosclerosis; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis - drug therapy; Atherosclerosis - metabolism; Atherosclerosis - pathology; Atherosclerosis - prevention & control; Bone marrow; CD36 antigen; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Endocytosis; Foam Cells - drug effects; Foam Cells - metabolism; Herbal medicine; High fat diet; Homology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Inflammation; Inflammation - drug therapy; Inflammation - pathology; Lipids; Lipoproteins, LDL - metabolism; Low density lipoprotein; Macrophage; Macrophages; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; multidisciplinary; NF-kappa B - metabolism; NF-κB protein; Saponins; Saponins - pharmacology; Saponins from Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Traditional Chinese medicine; Inflammation; Saponins from; Atherosclerosis; Macrophage; Saponins from Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61209-w

Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus
(AMB) is a traditional Chinese medicine with medicinal and food homology. AMB has various biological activities, including anti-coagulation, lipid-lowering, anti-tumor, and antioxidant effects. Saponins from
Allium macrostemonis Bulbus
(SAMB), the predominant beneficial compounds, also exhibited lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of SAMB on atherosclerosis and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the pharmacological impact of SAMB on atherosclerosis. In apolipoprotein E deficiency (ApoE
−/−
) mice with high-fat diet feeding, oral SAMB administration significantly attenuated inflammation and atherosclerosis plaque formation. The in vitro experiments demonstrated that SAMB effectively suppressed oxidized-LDL-induced foam cell formation by down-regulating CD36 expression, thereby inhibiting lipid endocytosis in bone marrow-derived macrophages. Additionally, SAMB effectively blocked LPS-induced inflammatory response in bone marrow-derived macrophages potentially through modulating the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway. In conclusion, SAMB exhibits a potential anti-atherosclerotic effect by inhibiting macrophage foam cell formation and inflammation. These findings provide novel insights into potential preventive and therapeutic strategies for the clinical management of atherosclerosis.