title: N-acetyl cysteine suppresses the foam cell formation that is induced by oxidized low density lipoprotein via regulation of gene expression.
abstract: Foam cells derived from macrophages have been implicated as markers of early stage atherosclerosis development. In this study, we found that N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), a well-known inhibitor of reactive oxygen species (ROS), decreased the generation of ROS and suppressed foam cell formation in the presence of oxidized low density lipoprotein through down-regulation of cluster of differentiation 36 expression. We investigated gene expression profiles in order to determine the effects of NAC on foam cell formation using a microarray analysis. The level of apolipoprotein E, which is involved in lipid efflux, was increased and the levels of the antioxidant genes glutathione peroxidase 1 and 3 were also increased. The expression levels of the oxidative stress response and the DNA repair genes were decreased. These results were confirmed using quantitative real-time PCR. Our results indicate that oxidative stress plays an important role in foam cell formation, and that regulation of oxidation using antioxidants is a potential therapeutic method for blocking atherosclerosis development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science, Eulji University, Seongnam, 461-713 Gyeonggi-Do, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ho Joong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Jeonghan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yoonseo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung-Wuk
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Jesang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ko
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000378:metabolism*; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000378:metabolism; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005487:Foam Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000378:metabolism*; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000094765:Glutathione Peroxidase GPX1
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D015415:Biomarkers; D017931:DNA Primers; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C099252:oxidized low density lipoprotein; C486484:GPX3 protein, human; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D000111:Acetylcysteine; D000094765:Glutathione Peroxidase GPX1; C000722067:GPX1 protein, human