akebia-saponin-d and Atherosclerosis

Akebia Saponin D (ASD) is a major bioactive triterpenoid saponin compound isolated from the Chinese herb Dipsacus asper wall (DSW). DSW has been long used as an anti-Alzheimer disease and anti-osteoporosis agent in clinics. However, anti-atherosclerotic effects of ASD have not been fully investigated. The objective of this study is to further investigate the anti-atherosclerotic activities and mechanisms of ASD in vivo and in vitro.. We found that ASD reduced the generation of reactive oxygen species, inhibited mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) impairment, diminished the expression of Bax and Caspase-3, increased Bcl-2 expression, and inhibited apoptosis in endothelial cells. ASD significantly increased the expression of anti-oxidant enzymes (GSH, SOD, and CAT) in both liver and vascular tissue, reduced blood lipid levels (TG, TC, and LDL-C), and decreased lipid deposition in the liver and atherosclerotic lesion size in ApoE. Our study revealed that ASD inhibited atherosclerosis development in ApoE

Topics: Animals; Apolipoproteins E; Apoptosis; Atherosclerosis; Cells, Cultured; Endothelial Cells; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Oxidative Stress; Saponins