Affiliations: School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong | Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong | Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Zhong Shan Medical College, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China | National Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Beijing, China
Note: [] Corresponding author: Dr. Min Li, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, 7 Baptist University Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel.: +852 3411 2919; Fax: +852 3411 2461; E-mail: limin@hkbu.edu.hk
Abstract: The study was conducted to investigate the effect of Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) on TNF-α-stimulated adhesion molecule expression i.e. vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and E-selectin in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) under laminar shear stress (LSS) condition. Exposure of HAECs to LSS (12 dynes/cm2 for 6 h decreased the TNF-α-induced protein expression of adhesion molecules i.e. VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-selectin. Pre-treatment of HAECs with Sal B (10 μg/ml) then exposed to LSS (12 dynes/cm2) for 6 h significantly inhibited VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-selectin expression stimulated by TNF-α. Moreover, combined Sal B and LSS treatment inhibited the adhesiveness of monocytic U937 cells to TNF-α-stimulated HAECs. We further examined the molecular mechanisms and found that the combination of Sal B and LSS treatment dramatically inhibited TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation evidenced by IκBα degradation and p65 nuclear translocation in HAECs. This study provides the first biomechanopharmacological evidence that Sal B has a combination effect with LSS to reduce the expression of three adhesion molecules, leading to reduced monocyte adhesion to HAECs, at least in part, by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. Data from this study thus support the potential clinical application of Sal B in vascular inflammatory diseases.
