Affiliation:
1. Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University (Northern Campus), Guangzhou 510080, China
2. Department of Cardiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
3. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Food, Nutrition and Health, Guangzhou 510080, China
Abstract
Brussels chicory, a typical vegetable in Mediterranean diets, has been recently reported to stabilize advanced atherosclerotic plaques in the brachiocephalic artery of apoE-deficient (Apoe−/−) mice. Herein, we investigated whether Brussels chicory can stabilize advanced plaques in the aorta via improving oxidative stress. Thirty week old Apoe−/− mice were fed the AIN-93G diet or supplemented with 0.5% freeze-dried Brussels chicory for twenty weeks. Aortic plaque size and stability, aortic relaxation, monocyte adhesion to aortic endothelium, free radicals, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic factors involved in free radical production and elimination in aorta and serum were measured. Brussels chicory consumption did not alter aortic plaque size, however, it stabilized aortic plaques, promoted aortic relaxation, and also inhibited monocyte adhesion to aortic endothelium. Moreover, this administration reduced oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) content in aortic plaques, associated with inhibited aortic NADPH oxidase (NOX) and uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-mediated free radical production. However, Brussels chicory consumption did not appreciably alter aortic and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, aortic glutathione (GSH), as well as serum non-enzymatic antioxidants, such as bilirubin, uric acid, and GSH. Collectively, improved oxidative stress might contribute to the atheroprotective effect of Brussels chicory, supporting the prospect of the antioxidant therapy in advanced atherosclerosis progression.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Guangdong Science and Technology Department
Subject
Food Science,Nutrition and Dietetics