Palmitic acid exerts pro‑inflammatory effects on vascular smooth muscle cells by inducing the expression of C‑reactive protein, inducible nitric oxide synthase and tumor necrosis factor‑α

Wu,Di; Liu,Juntian; Pang,Xiaoming; Wang,Shuyue; Zhao,Jingjing; Zhang,Xiaolu; Feng,Liuxin

doi:10.3892/ijmm.2014.1942

December-2014 Volume 34 Issue 6

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December-2014 Volume 34 Issue 6

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Article

Palmitic acid exerts pro‑inflammatory effects on vascular smooth muscle cells by inducing the expression of C‑reactive protein, inducible nitric oxide synthase and tumor necrosis factor‑α

Authors:
- Di Wu
- Juntian Liu
- Xiaoming Pang
- Shuyue Wang
- Jingjing Zhao
- Xiaolu Zhang
- Liuxin Feng
View Affiliations / Copyright

Affiliations: Department of Pharmacology, Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
Pages: 1706-1712
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Published online on: September 22, 2014

https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2014.1942
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Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in the vessel, and inflammatory cytokines play an important role in the inflammatory process of atherosclerosis. A high level of free fatty acids (FFAs) produced in lipid metabolism disorders are known to participate in the formation of atherosclerosis through multiple bioactivities. As the main saturated fatty acid in FFAs, palmitic acid stimulates the expression of inflammatory cytokines in macrophages. However, it is unclear whether palmitic acid exerts a pro‑inflammatory effect on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The purpose of the present study was to observe the effect of palmitic acid on the expression of C‑reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‑α) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in VSMCs. Rat VSMCs were cultured, and palmitic acid was used as a stimulant for CRP, TNF‑α and iNOS expression. mRNA expression was assayed with reverse transcription‑polymerase chain reaction, and protein expression was detected with western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry. The results showed that palmitic acid significantly stimulated mRNA and protein expression of CRP, TNF‑α and iNOS in VSMCs in time‑ and concentration‑dependent manners, and therefore, palmitic acid is able to exert a pro‑inﬂammatory effect on VSMCs via stimulating CRP, TNF‑α and iNOS expression. The ﬁndings provide a novel explanation for the direct pro‑inﬂammatory and atherogenic effects of palmitic acid, and for the association with metabolic syndrome, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and atherosclerosis. Therefore, the intervention with anti‑inflammatory agents may effectively delay the formation and progression of atherosclerosis in patients with metabolic syndrome.

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Journals

International Journal of Molecular Medicine

International Journal of Oncology

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Oncology Letters

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World Academy of Sciences Journal

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International Journal of Epigenetics

Medicine International

Palmitic acid exerts pro‑inflammatory effects on vascular smooth muscle cells by inducing the expression of C‑reactive protein, inducible nitric oxide synthase and tumor necrosis factor‑α

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