The effect of essential oils of dietary wormwood (Artemisia princeps), with and without added vitamin E, on oxidative stress and some genes involved in cholesterol metabolism.
Wormwood (Artemisia princeps) due to the abundance of antioxidant in its essential oils (EO), has been used as a traditional drug and health food in Korea. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the etiology of atherosclerosis thus antioxidative chemicals improves hepatic lipid metabolism partly by reducing oxysterol formation. The antioxidant activity was assessed using two methods, human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation and the anti-DPPH free radical assays. It was found that the antioxidant activity of EO with vitamin E higher than EO alone. To study mechanisms accounting for the antiatherosclerotic properties of this wormwood EO, we examined the expression of key genes in cholesterol metabolism such as the LDL receptor, the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and sterol regulatory element binding proteins. The induction was increased up to twofold at 0.05 mg/mL of EO treatment in HepG2 cells for 24h. When EO (0.2 mg/mL) was co-incubated with vitamin E, interestingly, the LDL receptor was dramatically induced by 5-6-folds. HMG-CoA reductase did not change. However, treatment with the higher concentration resulted in cytotoxicity. Our data suggest that wormwood EO with vitamin E may be anti-atherogenic due to their inhibition of LDL oxidation and upregulation of the LDL receptor.
Chung
Mi Ja
MJ
Division of Food Bioscience and Technology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Food Safety, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea.
Kang
Ah-Young
AY
Park
Sung-Ok
SO
Park
Kuen-Woo
KW
Jun
Hee-Jin
HJ
Lee
Sung-Joon
SJ
D019306:Artemisia / Q000737:chemistry*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D015153:Blotting, Western; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000378:metabolism; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D011973:Receptors, LDL / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051779:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000032:analysis; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology*
D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils; D011973:Receptors, LDL; D051779:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D014810:Vitamin E; D012313:RNA; D002784:Cholesterol; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases