Background
Dairy cows with metabolic disorder in peripartal period display high inflammatory levels. Adipose tissue is a major endocrine organ, which is closely related to systemic inflammation. Retinoic acid (RA), an active metabolite of vitamin A, has shown potential therapeutic immunomodulatory properties. The
Conclusion
In conclusion, ATRA stimulates TGFβ1/Smad3 signaling pathway and further suppresses bovine adipocytes inflammatory responses induced by LPS.
Results
LPS treatment significantly decreased the expression levels of TGFβ1/Smad3 components and increased the content of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Treatment with ATRA could over-activate TGFβ1/Smad3 signaling pathway in bovine adipocytes and reversed the over-production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibition of anti-inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS. Importantly, inhibition of TGFβ1/Smad3 signaling diminished the effects of ATRA on suppressing the proinflammatory responses induced by LPS. Furthermore, activation of TGFβ1/Smad3 signaling further extended the effects of ATRA on suppressing the proinflammatory responses on LPS stimulation.