Abstract
Objective High-fat diet (HFD) increases the
risk of inflammatory reaction and acute arterial
thrombosis. Celastrol has been confirmed to
regulate inflammatory cytokine levels in
atherosclerotic animal models. However, the
anti-thrombotic effects of celastrol have remained
to be fully demonstrated. The present study was
performed to investigate the beneficial effect of
celastrol in HFD-induced inflammatory reaction and
thrombosis in apolipoprotein (apo)E-/-
mice.
Materials and Methods Thrombogenic mice
model was established using HFD-fed
apoE-/- mice. The levels of mRNA and
protein were assayed by RT-qPCR and western
blotting, respectively. Immunohistochemistry (IHC)
staining was performed to measure the protein
expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and
matrix metalloproteinase-9 in the aortic
endothelium of HFD-fed apoE-/-
mice.
Results The results demonstrated that the
effect of HFD on inflammatory cytokines in mice
with apoE-/- background was reversed by
celastrol administration, and celastrol treatment
inhibited the NOD-like receptor family, pyrin
domain containing 3
(NLRP3)/caspase-1/interleukin-1β signaling
cascades in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
from HFD-fed apoE-/- mice. In addition,
HFD enhanced adenosine diphosphate-induced
platelet aggregation in normal C57BL/6 and
apoE-/- mice, while celastrol
administration reversed this. Furthermore,
celastrol inhibited the pro-thrombotic effects of
HFD in apoE-/- mice, and the underlying
mechanism was mediated, at least partially,
through the suppression of matrix
metalloproteinase-2 and -9 expression.
Conclusions Celastrol administration
significantly attenuated HFD-induced inflammatory
reaction, platelet aggregation and thrombosis in
apoE-/- mice, and celastrol may be used
as a drug for the prevention of HFD-induced
inflammatory reaction and thrombus.
Key words
thrombus - inflammation - celastrol - matrix metalloproteinase - NLRP3