Andrographolide protects against endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory response in rats with coronary heart disease by regulating PPAR and NF-κB signaling pathways

Andrographolide (Andro) is an active compound extracted from Andrographis, which has protective anti-inflammatory effects. But, its pathological role in coronary heart disease (CHD) is unclear, the

Andro may represent a medicinal approach for assessing and treating CHD.

Here, we established a mouse model of CHD, and rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10): sham, Andro (50 mg/kg), CHD, CHD + Andro (10 mg/kg), and CHD + Andro (50 mg/kg). HE staining was employed to evaluate the pathological changes of myocardial injury cardiac injury. The serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), nitric oxide (NO), TXA2, ET-1, and prostaglandin I2 (PGI2) were detected by ELISA assay. Myocardial inflammation and the interaction between Andro and PPAR-α/NF-κB axis was measured using western blot.

Compared with CHD groups, Andro preserved cardiac injury and decreased the levels of TC, TG, and LDL-C while increasing the level of HDL-C. In addition, Andro also reduced the levels of TNF-α, MCP-1, hs-CRP and IL-1β by shifting the macrophage phenotype and attenuated the endothelial dysfunction by increasing the serum levels of ET-1 and TAX2 and decreasing the levels of NO and PGI2 in mice. Furthermore, Andro impeded cardiac apoptosis and inhibited the activation of PPARα and NF-κB proteins. Conclusions: Andro may represent a medicinal approach for assessing and treating CHD.