Effect of Buddleja officinalis on high-glucose-induced vascular inflammation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

In this study, we aimed to investigate whether an aqueous extract of Buddleja officinalis (ABO) suppresses high-glucose-induced vascular inflammatory processes in the primary cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The high-glucose-induced increase in expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) such as intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and endothelial-selectin (E-selectin) was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with ABO in a dose-dependent manner. Enhanced cell adhesion caused by high glucose in co-cultured U937 and HUVEC was also blocked by pretreatment, with ABO. Pretreatment with ABO also blocked formation of high-glucose-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, ABO suppressed the transcriptional activity of NF-kappa B and I kappa B phosphorylation under high-glucose conditions. Pretreatment with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, attenuated the protective action of ABO on high-glucose-induced CAM expression, suggesting a potential role of NO signaling. The present data suggest that ABO could suppress high-glucose-induced vascular inflammatory processes, and ABO may be closely related with the inhibition of ROS and NF-kappa B activation in HUVEC.