Gastrodin Suppresses the Progression of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Inflammation by Regulating TLR4/NF-κB Pathway.

Elevated levels of plasma triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol have been shown to contribute to the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular risk factors, such as atherosclerosis, a primary cause of mortality. Gastrodin (Gas) is an effective polyphenol extracted from Chinese natural herbal Gastrodiae elata Blume, which has been documented to be effective against atherosclerosis. However, the related mechanisms remain largely unclear. The current investigation elucidated the involvement of Gas in the development of AS generated by a high-fat diet in mice lacking the apolipoprotein E gene (ApoE-/- ). The findings of our study indicate that the administration of Gas had a beneficial effect on hyperlipidemia in mice that were given a high-fat diet and lacked the ApoE gene. Specifically, Gas supplementation resulted in a reduction in blood levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Additionally, the administration of Gas resulted in the suppression of lesions in the en face aortas of ApoE KO mice, accompanied by a modest improvement in lipid profiles. The intervention demonstrated the capacity to impede the development of atherosclerotic lesions and promote characteristics associated with plaque stability. The administration of Gas prevented inflammation in the aorta by decreasing the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1. Additionally, Gas had a mitigating effect on TLR4/NF-κB pathway components in the aorta of ApoE-/- mice. Furthermore, it has been shown that Gas has the potential to mitigate the harm caused to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by ox-LDL, perhaps via inhibiting inflammation through the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. This study shows that Gas may potentially mitigate the development of atherosclerosis via its pleiotropic effects, including improvements in lipid profiles and anti-inflammatory properties.