AIM: Previous studies performed with XBP-01 in vitro indicated that XBP-01 could inhibit vascular smooth muscle cells from being transformed into foam cell and could eliminate the atherosclerotic plaque in C57 BL/6J mouse. This experiment is to investigate its mechanism of eliminating plaques in vitro. METHODS: The cultured porcine artery smooth muscle cells incubated with XBP-01 of 0.1 mg/L for 24 hours after preincubated with oxidized low density lipoprotein of 15 mg/L for 72 hours in vitro. The samples were analyzed by fluorescence microscope?confocal microscope system and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Apoptosis was triggered by being incubated with oxidized low density lipoprotein and this process was accelerated additionally by being incubated with XBP-01. CONCLUSION: XBP-01 can be effective in eliminating atherosclerotic plaque by accelerating the process in which oxidized low density lipoprotein induced smooth muscle cell apoptosis

AIM: Based on the finding of adipophilin expression with the increase in cellular cholesterol, the aim of the present study was to look for the active site of adipophilin in cellular cholesteryl metabolism. METHODS: Mouse peritoneal macrophages were incubated with 80 mg/L Ox-LDL (Ox-LDL group) or 80 mg/L Ox-LDL plus 1 mmol/L adipophilin antisense oligonucleotides (Ox-LDL+antisense group), respectively. At the various time points, the incubated cell samples were observed with adipophilin immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometric analysis and cellular cholesterol analysis. RESULTS: The Ox-LDL+antisense group cells contained significantly lower cholesteryl ester (19.9?1.9) mg/g (protein) than that of cells in Ox-LDL group (46.6?3.4) mg/g (protein) at 4 days. From 12 h, expression of adipophilin in Ox-LDL group increased more quickly than that of the cells in Ox-LDL+antisense group. At day 4, the level of adipophilin expression in Ox-LDL group was significantly higher than that in Ox-LDL+antisense group. During the observation, the amount of Ox-r[CL-3H] LDL taking up increased gradually in both groups, however, from day 1 the taking up amount in Ox-LDL+antisense group was less than that in Ox-LDL group. There was a statistical difference between the two groups from day 2 to day 4. From 6 h to day 2, the relative ACAT activity increased in both groups. The relative ACAT activity kept unchanged from day 2 to day 4 in the two groups. At day 2, the relative ACAT activity in Ox-LDL+antisense group was significantly lower than that in Ox-LDL group. Correlative analysis between activity of ACAT and adipophilin expression showed than R2 were 0.6176 and 0.8212 (P

AIM: To investigate the relationship betw een ADRP and the development of atherosclerosis. METHODS: Antisense oligodeoxynucleotide of mouse ADRP was constr ucted. The mouse peritoneum macrophages were cultured with Ox-LDL or Ox-LDL plus the antisense fragment. The cellular cholesterol was measured and the expressio n of ADRP was observed with RT-PCR and western blotting. New Zealand white rabbi ts were fed with high cholesterol chow for 12 weeks. The levels of serum lipid a nd cholesterol content of aortic wall were investigated. The areas of fatty stre ak of the aortas was measured after staining with Sudan Ⅳ. The aortic, and live r specimens with HE and immunohistochemistry staining were observed under light microscopes. RESULTS: Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides of mouse ADRP decreased cellular cholesterol ester, induced cellular lipid droplets and the expression of ADRP. The expression of ADRP was induced by high-cholesterol-diet feeding in rabbit atherosclerotic lesions. The fatty streak of the aorta with immunohistoch emistry staining was strongly positive for ADRP in animals fed with high cholest erol chow, and the liver was negative with or without high cholesterol chow. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of ADRP in vessel walls is related t o the atherosclerosis, and has a potential role in lipid accumulation in macroph ages and pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between aldose reductase like protein (ARL-1) gene overexpressed in HCC cells and drug-resistance of the cell to drugs containing carbonyl group.

METHODSTo establish ARL-1 stable expression positive cell line, eukaryotic expression vectors containing ARL-1 gene cDNA were transfected into Hep cell mediated by lipofect AMINE. The positive monoclones were determined by PCR and RT-PCR, respectively. Then MTT assay was used to study the drug resistance ability of the cells to drugs containing carbonyl after incubating three days with those drugs.

RESULTSAfter ARL-1 gene transfection mediated by lipofect AMINE, one positive monoclonal cell overexpressing ARL-1 gene was selected. Compared with the control cell group, drug resistance ability of the positive cells to ADM and MMC which contain carbonyl group increased 2.3 and 3.17 fold, respectively (t=6.39, P=0.016 in ADM group and t=30.06, P=0.001 in MMC group). In the same time, drug resistance ability to 5-FU which has no carbonyl group had no statistical difference between positive monoclonal cell group and control cell group (t=0.684, P=0.531).

CONCLUSIONSThe Hep ARL-1 positive cell line with stable expression of ARL-1 gene has been established successfully and the up-regulation of ARL-1 gene may plays an important role in drug resistance of the cells to anticancer drugs containing carbonyl group.

Aldehyde Reductase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Doxorubicin ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; genetics ; physiology ; Fluorouracil ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Mitomycin ; pharmacology ; Transfection ; Tumor Cells, Cultured ; drug effects

AIM: In order to investigate the change of CD36 expression in atherosclerosis. METHODS: Chinese minipigs were fed a normal control diet (CD) or a high fat/high cholesterol diet (HFHC) for 12 months after common carotid artery injury induced by balloon denudation. Plasma total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) were determined by commercially enzymatic methods. CD36 mRNA and protein levels were determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively. RESULTS: After HFHC for 12 months, plasma total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglyceride in HFHC minipigs were increased compared with the control. CD36 expression and aorta PPAR? in HFHC minipigs were upregulated. CONCLUSION: HFHC may induce hyper cholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia and upregulation of CD36 and aortic PPAR? expression.