Affiliation:
1. State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, National Engineering Laboratory for Cereal Fermentation Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 China
Abstract
ScopeThe cannabidiol (CBD) in hemp oil has important pharmacological activities. Accumulating evidence suggests that CBD is beneficial in the cardiovascular system and has been applied as a health supplement for atherosclerosis. However, the mechanism remains unclear.Methods and resultsThis study investigates the impact of CBD on foam cell formation, cholesterol homeostasis, and lipid metabolism in macrophages. CBD elevates the levels of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and its associated targets, such as ATP binding transporter A1/G1 (ABCA1/ABCG1), thus reducing foam cell formation, and increasing cholesterol efflux within macrophages. Notably, the upregulation of ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression induced by CBD is found to be attenuated by both a PPARγ inhibitor and PPARγ small interfering RNA (siRNA). Moreover, transfection of PPARγ siRNA results in a decrease in the inhibitory effect of CBD on foam cell formation and promotion of cholesterol efflux. Through lipidomics analysis, the study finds that CBD significantly reverses the enhancement of ceramide (Cer). Correlation analysis indicates a negative association between Cer level and the expression of ABCA1/ABCG1.ConclusionThis study confirms that CBD can be an effective therapeutic candidate for atherosclerosis treatment by activating PPARγ, up‐regulating ABCA1/ABCG1 expression, and down‐regulating Cer level.