Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
3rd International Propolis Conference, İstanbul, Türkiye, 9 - 11 Kasım 2023, ss.81
Atherosclerotic plaques, which develop mainly in large arteries, are the leading cause of cardiovascular disease, one of the top causes of death in the world. High cholesterol levels within the subendothelial layer of arterial walls trigger the onset of atherosclerosis, drawing macrophages toward the intimal layer. However, foam cells are formed if lipids exceed the macrophages’ capacity to clear them. Sortilin is a transmembrane protein synthesized in various tissues and cells, particularly in the liver and macrophages. It is activated by a disintegrin and metalloprotease(ADAM)10 and plays a role in lipid metabolism and intracellular signaling mechanisms. It is known that sortilin, released from macrophages, increases the growth and number of foam cells by increasing the uptake of low-density lipoprotein(LDL); thus, it is an atherogenic molecule. The anti-inflammatory properties of bee products, especially propolis, which have always been the focus of research from past to present, have been revealed by various studies. However, the effect of propolis on sortilin and ADAM10 levels is unknown. Our investigation focused on the levels of sortilin and ADAM10 in the aortic root of ApoE-/- mice, which we used as an atherosclerosis model. In our study, eight C57BL/6J mice were used as controls, while twenty-four ApoE-/- mice were used for the case, water extract of propolis, and ethanolic extract of propolis groups. Propolis extracts were administered intraperitoneally to mice fed with control and high cholesterol diet for sixteen weeks for the last four weeks. The animals were sacrificed by decapitation, and the aortic root was dissected. The levels of these proteins were investigated immunohistochemically using primary sortilin and ADAM10 antibodies. As a result of the study, propolis extracts significantly reduced ADAM10 and sortilin levels in the aortic root compared to the case group(p<0.05). This finding suggests that propolis extracts may hold potential therapeutic benefits in regulating the levels of these proteins.
Key Words: ADAM10, Atherosclerosis, Propolis, Sortilin