The interventional effect of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua polysaccharide on atherosclerosis in mice of different sexes

Abstract

In the present study, we investigated the intervention effects of a purified Polygonatum cyrtonema polysaccharide (PCP) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced atherosclerosis in male and female LDLr −/− mice. Results showed that HFD caused severe dyslipidemia, atherosclerotic lesions, oxidative damages and infl ammation in male and female mice, and these effects seemed to be more pronounced in males than in females. However, the above variations could be dose-dependently reversed by PCP treatment, and the intervention effects on males were greater than those on females. Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) and protein kinase B (Akt) are 3 pivotal signaling pathways mediating the development of atherosclerosis. Consistently, PCP was also found to signifi cantly decrease the phosphorylation of p65, p38, extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Akt, and increase the protein expression of inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB) in the aortas of male and female mice induced by HFD. Taken together, these fi ndings indicated that PCP could be effective for the prevention of atherosclerosis, and the intervention effect of PCP on male mice was more obvious than that of female mice.

Bioactive phytochemicals and associated multifunctional health-promoting effects of Polygonati Rhizoma

“…Polygonati Rhizoma exerted health-promoting activities mainly through regulating multiple pathways, multiple targets, and multiple components [147][148]. Several types of bioactive components were isolated: polysaccharides exerted immunomodulatory, anti-aging, metabolic regulation, and antiviral activities; steroidal saponins were responsible for hypoglycemic activity; homoisoflavonoids might serve as potential insulin sensitizers; lectin demonstarted remarkable anti-tumor activities, including programmed cell death, apoptosis and autophagy of cancer cells [8].…”