Luteolin Attenuates Atherosclerosis Via Modulating Signal Transducer And Activator Of Transcription 3-Mediated Inflammatory Response

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory factors play a crucial role throughout the development and progression of atherosclerosis, which has been considered as a chronic vascular inflammatory disease. Luteolin, a natural flavonoid which exists in many natural medicinal materials, has anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and other pharmacological effects. Recently, the protective effects of luteolin on the cardiovascular disease have been reported. However, there is a paucity of studies on anti-atherosclerosis. Therefore, the anti-atherosclerosis potential of luteolin remains to be elucidated. METHOD: ApoE(-/-) mice were fed with a high-fat diet to induce atherosclerosis in an animal model, where they were treated with oral administration of luteolin for 12 weeks. Primary mouse peritoneal macrophages challenged with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) were used for in vitro mechanistic study. The effectiveness of luteolin in the ApoE(-/-) mouse model of atherosclerosis was estimated in the aortic sinus and enface, and the underlying mechanisms were explored by molecular modeling study and siRNA-induced gene silencing. RESULTS: Our results showed that luteolin remarkably attenuated atherosclerosis in high-fat diet-induced ApoE(-/-) mouse via alleviating inflammation. We further found that luteolin decreased oxLDL-induced inflammation by inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in vitro, respectively. Further molecular modeling analysis indicated that luteolin interacted with STAT3 primarily through hydrogen bond interaction. CONCLUSION: Luteolin could be a promising candidate molecule for atherosclerosis, and STAT3 may be a potential therapeutic target that could prevent the development of atherosclerosis.