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Anthocyanin prevents CD40-activated proinflammatory signaling in endothelial cells by regulating cholesterol distribution.

Xia M, Ling W, Zhu H, Wang Q, Ma J, Hou M, Tang Z, Li L, Ye Q

Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, PR China 510080.

OBJECTIVE: Intracellular tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) translocation to lipid rafts is a key element in CD40-induced signaling. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of anthocyanin on CD40-mediated proinflammatory events in human endothelial cells and the underlying possible molecular mechanism. METHODS AND RESULTS: Treatment of endothelial cells with anthocyanin prevented from CD40-induced proinflammatory status, measured by production of IL-6, IL-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 through inhibiting CD40-induced nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation. TRAF-2 played pivotal role in CD40-NF-kappaB pathway as TRAF-2 small interference RNA (siRNA) diminished CD40-induced NF-kappaB activation and inflammation. TRAF-2 overexpression increased CD40-mediated NF-kappaB activation. Moreover, TRAF-2 almost totally recruited to lipid rafts after stimulation by CD40 ligand and depletion of cholesterol diminished CD40-mediated NF-kappaB activation. Exposure to anthocyanin not only interrupted TRAF-2 recruitment to lipid rafts but also decreased cholesterol content in Triton X-100 insoluble lipid rafts. However, anthocyanin did not influence the interaction between CD40 ligand and CD40 receptor. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that anthocyanin protects from CD40-induced proinflammatory signaling by preventing TRAF-2 translocation to lipid rafts through regulation of cholesterol distribution, which thereby may represent a mechanism that would explain the anti-inflammatory response of anthocyanin.

Published 15 February 2007 in Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 27(3): 519-24.
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