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

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2018-01, Vol.66 (2), p.449-456
• Main Authors: Zhang, Shanshan, Zou, Jun, Li, Peiyang, Zheng, Xiumei, Feng, Dan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b04260

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been reported to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the current study aimed to investigate whether curcumin suppresses atherosclerosis development in ApoE-knockout (ApoE–/–) mice by inhibiting TLR4 expression. ApoE–/– mice were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with or without curcumin (0.1% w/w) for 16 weeks. Curcumin supplementation significantly reduced TLR4 expression and macrophage infiltration in atherosclerotic plaques. Curcumin also reduced aortic interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity, and plasma IL-1β, TNF-α, soluble VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 levels. In addition, aortic sinus sections revealed that curcumin treatment reduced the extent of atherosclerotic lesions and inhibited atherosclerosis development. In vitro, curcumin inhibited NF-κB activation in macrophages and reduced TLR4 expression induced by lipopolysaccharide. Our results indicate that curcumin protects against atherosclerosis at least partially by inhibiting TLR4 expression and its related inflammatory reaction.