resveratrol protects against diet-induced atherosclerosis by reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and inhibiting inflammation in apolipoprotein e-deficient mice

objective(s):resveratrol (res) is a polyphenol compound that has been shown a promising cardioprotective effect. however, some reports have yielded conflicting findings. herein, we investigated the anti-atherosclerotic effects of res in apolipoprotein e (apo e)-deficient mice on a high cholesterol diet. materials and methods: firstly, atherosclerosis was induced by feeding a high cholesterol diet to apo e-deficient mice. then, we examined its effects on weight control, and serum interleukin-6 (il-6) levels and used histopathological methods to analyze morphology and inflammatory marker of atherosclerotic lesions in mice orally supplemented with high (25 mg/kg/day) and low (5 mg/kg/day) doses of res for 8 weeks. results: mice with high dose of res had reduced epididymal fat pads, and lower serum il-6 levels compared with those of control mice. moreover, res in high doses also decreased the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (ldl-c) levels and atherogenic index (ldl-c/hdl-c) in the mice. dissection of high-dose res-treated mice revealed a marked reduction in fat deposition, percentage of mice with atherosclerotic lesion, and intima/media ratio in the aortic areas.theexpressions of macrophage-specific marker f4/80 and cardiovascular inflammatory marker nf-κb in atherosclerotic vessels were both diminished in the atherosclerotic vessels of high-dose res-supplementated apo e-deficient mice. conclusion: these results suggest that res prevented the effects of a high cholesterol diet onthe rate of accretion in atherosclerosis progression by reducing the ldl-c levels and suppressing atherosclerotic inflammation. res can therefore be valuable in the development of new anti-atherosclerotic agents.