title: Acrolein increases macrophage atherogenicity in association with gut microbiota remodeling in atherosclerotic mice: protective role for the polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice.
abstract: The unsaturated aldehyde acrolein is pro-atherogenic, and the polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice (PJ), known for its anti-oxidative/anti-atherogenic properties, inhibits macrophage foam cell formation, the hallmark feature of early atherosclerosis. This study aimed to investigate two unexplored areas of acrolein atherogenicity: macrophage lipid metabolism and the gut microbiota composition. The protective effects of PJ against acrolein atherogenicity were also evaluated. Atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-) mice that were fed acrolein (3 mg/kg/day) for 1 month showed significant increases in serum and aortic cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipid peroxides. In peritoneal macrophages isolated from the mice and in J774A.1 cultured macrophages, acrolein exposure increased intracellular oxidative stress and stimulated cholesterol and triglyceride accumulation via enhanced rates of their biosynthesis and over-expression of key regulators of cellular lipid biosynthesis: sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), and diacylglycerol acyltransferase1 (DGAT1). Acrolein-fed mice demonstrated a major shift in the gut microbiota composition, including a significant phylum-level change in increased Firmicutes and decreased Bacteroidetes. At the family level, acrolein significantly increased the prevalence of Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae of which the Coprococcus genus was significantly and positively correlated with serum, aortic and macrophage lipid levels and peroxidation. The pro-atherogenic effects of acrolein on serum, aortas, macrophages, and the gut microbiota were substantially abolished by PJ. In conclusion, these findings provide novel mechanisms by which acrolein increases macrophage lipid accumulation and alters the gut microbiota composition in association with enhanced atherogenesis. Moreover, PJ was found as an effective strategy against acrolein atherogenicity.
authors.affiliation: The Lipid Research Laboratory, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Efron 1, Bat Galim, 31096, Haifa, Israel. orenrom@tx.technion.ac.il.
authors.forename: Oren
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rom
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Applied Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Hila
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Korach-Rechtman
authors.affiliation: The Lipid Research Laboratory, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Efron 1, Bat Galim, 31096, Haifa, Israel.|Department of Internal Medicine E, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayek
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Applied Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Danin-Poleg
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Haim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bar
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Applied Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Yechezkel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kashi
authors.affiliation: The Lipid Research Laboratory, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Efron 1, Bat Galim, 31096, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aviram
mesh_terms: D000171:Acrolein / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002460:Cell Line; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D029561:Lythraceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D059808:Polyphenols; D000171:Acrolein
keywords: Acrolein; Gut microbiota; Lipid metabolism; Macrophage foam cells; Oxidative stress