Curcumin inhibits the formation of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice by suppressing cytomegalovirus activity in endothelial cells

Background: Curcumin (Cur) is a hydrophobic polyphenol compound derived from the rhizome of the herb Curcuma longa. Cur has a wide spectrum of biological and pharmacological activities. It has been shown that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection was an important risk factor for atherosclerosis (AS) and Cur exhibited an outstanding anti-HCMV effect. However, anti-AS effects of Cur remain unclear when HCMV infected endothelial cells. Aims: This study will investigate the anti-AS activities and mechanism of Cur,when HCMV infected in vivo and in vitro. Materials and methods: Cur (0.5, 1, and 2 mu M) was used to explore the anti-AS activities and mechanism after HCMV infected endothelial cells in vitro. ApoE(-/-) mice were fed a high fat and cholesterol diet (HD) and given 4000,000 copies/mouse MCMV infection by intraperitoneal and treated with ganciclovir (5 mg/kg/d), Cur (25, 15 mg/kg/d) for 10 weeks in vivo. Key findings: As our results showed that Cur inhibited CMV replication and proliferation, reduced the intracellular ROS overproduction, decreased the release of inflammatory cytokines, down-regulated the level of HMGB1-TLRS-NF-kappa B signaling pathway-related proteins in vitro experiments. Cur reduced the serum levels of LDL-C, TC and TG, significantly decreased the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in the aorta, reduced the lipid deposition in liver and inflammatory damage in heart, lung and kidney in vivo experiments. Significance: This study showed that Cur prevent AS progression by inhibiting CMV activity and CMV-induced HMGB1-TLRS-NF-kappa B signaling pathway.