Abstract
Abstract Foam cells derived from macrophages have been implicated as markers of early stage atherosclerosis development. In this study, we found that N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), a well-known inhibitor of reactive oxygen species (ROS), decreased the generation of ROS and suppressed foam cell formation in the presence of oxidized low density lipoprotein through down-regulation of cluster of differentiation 36 expression. We investigated gene expression profiles in order to determine the effects of NAC on foam cell formation using a microarray analysis. The level of apolipoprotein E, which is involved in lipid efflux, was increased and the levels of the antioxidant genes glutathione peroxidase 1 and 3 were also increased. The expression levels of the oxidative stress response and the DNA repair genes were decreased. These results were confirmed using quantitative real-time PCR. Our results indicate that oxidative stress plays an important role in foam cell formation, and that regulation of oxidation using antioxidants is a potential therapeutic method for blocking atherosclerosis development.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3001-3007 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Molecular biology reports |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2012 Mar |
Keywords
- Atherosclerosis
- Foam cell
- N-acetyl cysteine
- Reactive oxygen species
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics