Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become a leading cause of death and an evolving epidemic worldwide. Atherosclerosis, the primary cause of heart attack and stroke, is associated with inflammation and elevated plasma cholesterol level. Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) has recently been identified as an independent risk factor for promoting atherosclerosis by impairing vascular function, exacerbating inflammation, and adversely affecting cholesterol metabolism via inhibiting hepatic bile acid synthesis. Ginger (<i>Zingiber officinale</i>), which is widely used as a spice, has been reported to prevent atherogenesis in many studies due to its potent cholesterol-lowering, vasoprotective and anti-inflammatory activities. The present study was to investigate the effects of ginger extract (GE) on TMAO-induced atherosclerosis in high-fat-and-cholesterol-feeding mice. After a 12-week intervention, results showed that dietary TMAO raised plasma TMAO concentration in mice, resulted in elevated plasma and liver cholesterol levels. TMAO suppressed the expression of hepatic CYP7A1, the key enzyme in the bile acid synthesis, leading to a significant decrease in fecal acidic sterol output. GE was able to improve plasma lipid profiles, attenuate the TMAO-related vascular inflammation, and partially compensate for the TMAO-induced reduction in fecal acidic sterol excretion mainly by up-regulating the expression of CYP7A1 in the liver. It was concluded that GE was able to alleviate the TMAO-induced development of atherosclerosis at least in mice.

Effects of ginger extract on TMAO-induced atherogenesis

256th National Meeting (2018)

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