Tetrahydropalmatine Alleviates Hyperlipidemia by Regulating Lipid Peroxidation, Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, and Inflammasome Activation by Inhibiting the TLR4-NF-κB Pathway

Abstract

Hyperlipidemia (HLP) is a lipid metabolism disorder that can induce a series of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, and stroke, which seriously threaten human health. Tetrahydropalmatine (THP) is a component of the plant Rhizoma corydalis and has been shown to exert hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in HLP. However, whether THP regulates lipid peroxidation in hyperlipidemia, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and inflammasome activation and even the underlying protective mechanism against HLP remain unclear. An animal model of HLP was established by feeding a high-fat diet to golden hamsters. Our results showed that THP reduced the body weight and adipose index; decreased the serum content of ALT, AST, TC, TG, and LDL-C; decreased the free fatty acid hepatic lipid content (liver index, TC, TG, and free fatty acid); inhibited oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation; extenuated hepatic steatosis; and inhibited ER stress and inflammasome activation in high-fat diet-fed golden hamsters. In addition, for the first time, the potential mechanism by which THP protects against HLP through the TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway was demonstrated. In conclusion, these data indicate that THP attenuates HLP through a variety of effects, including antioxidative stress, anti-ER stress, and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, THP also inhibited the TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway in golden hamsters.