Search

Abnormal proliferation, migration and foaming of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are involved in atherosclerosis (AS) process. Imperatorin (IMP) is a coumarin compound mainly originated from angelica dahurica in natural plants. In this study, effects of IMP on proliferation, migration and foaming of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced VSMCs were investigated. The results showed that IMP regulated cell cycle in S ~ G2/M phase and down-regulated the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and then exerted anti-proliferation effect. IMP might have a repressive effect on migration in ox-LDL-stimulated VSMCs through inhibiting the metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). Oil red O staining showed IMP suppressed lipid accumulation in ox-LDL-induced-VSMCs. This was consistent with the determination of Lectin-like oxidation of lectin-like ox-LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) and total cholesterol (TC). IMP also reduced the expression of p-PI3K, p-Akt and p-mTOR in ox-LDL-treated VSMCs. These results suggested that IMP might play an anti-lesion role in ox-LDL-stimulated-VSMCs by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation and migration causes the tunica intimal thickening in atherosclerosis. Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP) is the central active component extracted from Poria cocos, it has remarkable biological functions. However, the role of PCP in atherosclerosis has not been elucidated. In response, we investigated the effect of PCP on ox-LDL-induced VSMCs proliferation and migration. We demonstrate that PCP exerts an inhibitory effect on VSMCs proliferation through G0/G1 cell cycle arrest with the down-regulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cyclinD1. Likewise, the inhibition of metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) expression might be a mechanism behinds the suppressive effect of PCP on ox-LDL-induced VSMCs migration. PCP also exhibits the same effect to the inhibitor of TLR4/NF-κB on alleviating the expression of p-IκBα, p-NF-κB and TLR4. These results indicate that PCP inhibits ox-LDL-induced VSMCs proliferation and migration through the suppression of TLR4/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway.