Study on the Anti-Atherosclerotic Effect of p-Hydroxycinnamic Acid by Inhibiting Foam Cell Formation

LIU Fengming^1,2^#, BAI Jie^3#, LI Zhuoyu³, SHAN Shuhua³, WU Haili¹, LI Zhuoyu³, QIAO Mingqiang^1,2*

(¹School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030000, China; ²Xinghuacun College of Shanxi University (Shanxi Institute of Brewing Technology and Industry), Taiyuan 030000, China; ³Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of National Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030000, China)

Abstract:

This study investigated the anti-atherosclerotic effect of p-HCA (p-hydroxycinnamic acid) by inhibiting foam cell formation. ox-LDL (oxidised low-density lipoprotein) was used to construct a macrophage-derived foam cell model, and the effects of p-HCA on lipid accumulation and inflammatory response related indicators in this model were detected by cellular oil red O, Western blot and ELISA experiments. ApoE–/– mice were used to build a classical atherosclerosis model, and the anti-atherosclerotic effect of p-HCA in vivo was explored by aortic whole oil red O, aortic sinus frozen oil red O and immunohistochemistry assays. The results showed that p-HCA significantly reduced lipid accumulation in macrophages by inhibiting the expression of macrophage lipid phagocytosis-associated proteins lectin-like oxidised LOX-1 (lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1) and TLR4 (toll-like receptor 4), meanwhile, p-HCA effectively constrained STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) and IL-6 (interleukin-6) expression. Further in vivo experiments showed that p-HCA reduced the lesion area in the aorta of ApoE–/– mice and decreased the expression of LOX-1, TLR4, STAT3 and IL-6 in the aorta. In conclusion, p-HCA exerts an anti-atherosclerotic effect by reducing macrophage lipid accumulation and inflammatory response.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2025.12.0010