Hydroxysafflor yellow A, a natural food pigment, ameliorates atherosclerosis in ApoE−/− mice by inhibiting the SphK1/S1P/S1PR3 pathway

Abstract

AbstractAtherosclerosis (AS) is the pathologic basis of many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is a valuable natural food pigment that has been reported to have significant health‐promoting abilities. However, the anti‐AS efficacy and mechanisms of HSYA have not yet been characterized. Here, we found that treatment of apolipoprotein A (ApoE) knockout (ApoE−/−) mice with HSYA markedly ameliorated atherosclerosis evidenced by decreased levels of lipids, sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P), inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, vascular endothelial permeability, and endothelial damage. Moreover, mechanistic studies revealed that HSYA treatment downregulated the expression of aortic sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), sphingosine‐1‐phosphate receptor 3 (S1PR3), Ras homolog family member A (RhoA), Rho‐associated coiled‐coil containing protein kinase (ROCK), and filamentous actin (F‐actin). The results of administration with HSYA reversed the effects of SphK1 agonist and S1PR3 agonist on oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL)‐induced vascular endothelial cell migration ability and F‐actin expression, and decreased RhoA/ROCK protein expression further confirmed the conclusion that HSYA reduced vascular endothelial permeability by modulating the SphK1/S1P/S1PR3/RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway, thereby exerting anti‐atherosclerotic effects. Overall, this study indicated that HSYA might be a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of AS.