Archives of toxicologyOct 4, 2016

Acrolein raises harmful immune cell behavior linked to gut bacteria changes in mice with artery disease, while pomegranate juice offers protection

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Abstract

Apolipoprotein E-deficient mice fed 3 mg/kg/day of acrolein for 1 month exhibited significant increases in serum and aortic cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipid peroxides.

Acrolein exposure in macrophages heightened oxidative stress and led to increased cholesterol and triglyceride accumulation.
Key regulators of lipid biosynthesis were over-expressed following acrolein exposure, including sterol regulatory element-binding proteins, HMGCR, and DGAT1.
Acrolein consumption caused a notable shift in gut microbiota, characterized by increased Firmicutes and decreased Bacteroidetes.
The prevalence of Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae families was significantly increased by acrolein, with Coprococcus genus correlating positively with lipid levels.
Pomegranate juice substantially mitigated the pro-atherogenic effects of acrolein on serum, aortas, macrophages, and gut microbiota.

Simplified

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. -/-

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View Full Text ↗

Acrolein raises harmful immune cell behavior linked to gut bacteria changes in mice with artery disease, while pomegranate juice offers protection

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief