Anti-atherogenic mechanism of ethanol extract of Christia vespertilionis (L.f.) Bakh. F. Leaves in vitro

• Published in: International immunopharmacology 2024-06, Vol.134, p.112148, Article 112148
• Main Authors: Tan, Jiah Ning, Husain, Khairana, Jubri, Zakiah, Chan, Kok Meng, Ugusman, Azizah, Jantan, Ibrahim, Fauzi, Norsyahida Mohd
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-inflammatory; Atherosclerosis; Christia vespertilionis; Endothelial cell; Monocyte adhesion; NF-κB signaling pathway
• ISSN: 1567-5769; 1878-1705; 1878-1705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112148

[Display omitted] •CV extract attenuates monocyte adhesion to activated endothelial cells.•CV extract inhibits expression of adhesion molecules expression and chemokines.•CV extract inhibits NF-κB signaling pathway. Vascular inflammation is the key event in early atherogenesis. Pro-inflammatory endothelial cells induce monocyte recruitment into the sub-endothelial layer of the artery. This requires endothelial expression of adhesion molecules namely intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), alongside chemokines production. Christia vespertilionis (L.f.) Bakh.f. (CV) possesses anti-inflammatory property. However, its potential anti-atherogenic effect in the context of vascular inflammation has yet to be explored. To evaluate the anti-atherogenic mechanism of 80% ethanol extract of CV leaves on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Qualitative analysis of the CV extract was carried out by using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The cell viability of HUVECs treated with CV extract was determined by MTT assay. The effect of CV extract on monocyte adhesion was determined by monocyte-endothelial adhesion assay. Protein expressions of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway were determined by western blot while production of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) was determined by ELISA. LC-MS/MS analysis showed that CV extract composed of five main compounds, including schaftoside, orientin, isovitexin, 6-caffeoyl-D-glucose, and 3,3′-di-O-methyl ellagic acid. Treatment of CV extract at a concentration range from 5 to 60 µg/mL for 24 h maintained HUVECs viability above 90 %, therefore concentrations of 20, 40 and 60 μg/mL were selected for the subsequent experiments. All concentrations of CV extract showed a significant inhibitory effect on monocyte adhesion to TNF-α-activated HUVECs (p