2. Academic Validation
  3. The benzoate plant metabolite ethyl gallate prevents cellular- and vascular-lipid accumulation in experimental models of atherosclerosis

The benzoate plant metabolite ethyl gallate prevents cellular- and vascular-lipid accumulation in experimental models of atherosclerosis

  • Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2021 Jun 4;556:65-71. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.03.158.
Wenjie Liu 1,  Jianmin Liu 1,  Shu Xing 2,  Xuefang Pan 1,  Sheng Wei 3,  Mingyang Zhou 1,  Zifa Li 4,  Ling Wang 1,  John Kevin Bielicki 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China.
  • 2 School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 3 Behavioral Phenotyping Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250353, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 4 Behavioral Phenotyping Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250353, China.
  • 5 School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 33839416 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.03.158
Abstract

Ethyl gallate (EG) is a well-known constituent of medicinal Plants, but its effects on atherosclerosis development are not clear. In the present study, the anti-atherosclerosis effects of EG and the underlying mechanisms were explored using macrophage cultures, zebrafish and apolipoprotein (apo) E deficient mice. Treatment of macrophages with EG (20 μM) enhanced cellular Cholesterol efflux to HDL, and reduced net lipid accumulation in response to oxidized LDL. Secretion of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) from activated macrophages was also blunted by EG. Fluorescence imaging techniques revealed EG feeding of zebrafish reduced vascular lipid accumulation and inflammatory responses in vivo. Similar results were obtained in apoE-/- mice 6.5 months of age, where plaque lesions and monocyte infiltration into the artery wall were reduced by 70% and 42%, respectively, after just 6 weeks of injections with EG (20 mg/kg). HDL-cholesterol increased 2-fold, serum Cholesterol efflux capacity increased by ∼30%, and the levels of MCP-1 and IL-6 were reduced with EG treatment of mice. These results suggest EG impedes early atherosclerosis development by reducing the lipid and macrophage-content of plaque. Underlying mechanisms appeared to involve HDL Cholesterol efflux mechanisms and suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion.

Keywords

ATP binding Cassette (ABC) transporters; Atherosclerosis; Ethyl gallate; High density lipoproteins (HDL); Macrophage foam-cells.

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