Lycopene Reduces Cholesterol Absorption and Prevents Atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- Mice by Downregulating HNF-1α and NPC1L1 Expression

作者：Liu, Hao; Liu, Jun; Liu, Zhenhao; Wang, Qi; Liu, Junqiang; Feng, Dan^*; Zou, Jun^*

来源：Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2021, 69(35): 10114-10120.

DOI：10.1021/acs.jafc.1c03160

• lycopene
• Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1
• hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 alpha
• atherosclerosis
• ApoE(-/-) mice

Our previous study showed that lycopene reduced the absorption of cholesterol in Caco-2 cells through inhibiting Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) expression. Herein, we aimed to explore whether lycopene supplementation can decrease cholesterol absorption in the intestine and prevent atherosclerosis progression in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) mice. Male ApoE(-/-) mice were fed a high-fat diet with or without lycopene for 19 weeks. Supplementation of lycopene markedly lowered serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Additionally, serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were increased after lycopene administration. Lycopene also downregulated the expression of NPC1L1 and hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 alpha (HNF-1 alpha) in the small intestine. Furthermore, the Oil Red O staining of the aorta and aortic sinus showed that lycopene supplementation remarkably reduced atherosclerotic lesions. These results indicated that lycopene inhibited intestinal cholesterol absorption and protected against HFD-induced atherosclerosis through inhibiting HNF-1 alpha and NPC1L1 expression. Lycopene exhibits a potential antiatherosclerotic effect through suppressing intestinal cholesterol absorption.

• 单位
  南方医科大学; 中山大学; 6