Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities of andrographolide determined using atherosclerosis induced mice in Malaysia

Atherosclerosis and relative cardiovascular complications remain the main reasons for death worldwide. This study stimulated atherosclerosis in C57BL/6J mice using P-407 via intraperitoneal injection, and treatment with Andrographolide (AGP) (15, 30 and 45 mg/kg BW) was carried out for six weeks. The heart and aorta were harvested after six weeks and assessed using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and histological studies. The results demonstrated that the treatment with AGP reversed the effects of P-407 induced atherosclerosis. The doses of AGP correlated with the reduction of atherosclerosis biomarkers, and a high dose (45 mg/kg BW) was the most significant dose. The Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), Triglycerides (TG), and Atherogenic Index (AI) were significantly reduced by the AGP treatment. The histological results showed a reduction in inflammation, fibrosis and hypertrophy in the heart tissues of the groups treated with AGP compared to the disease control. In addition, AGP treatment significantly decreased Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and the inflammation marker (NF-kB). Furthermore, the AGP-treated groups showed typical morphological characteristics of the aorta, while the disease control cells were highly affected. The results demonstrated that AGP is highly recommended as a natural treatment to reduce the symptoms of atherosclerosis by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.