Key Results
ATO reduced atherosclerotic lesion formation and plasma lipid levels in ApoE-/- mice. Additionally, it reduced the levels of various pro-inflammatory factors, including IL-6 and TNFα, in the serum and aortic plaques, but increased the IL-10 level. Mechanistically, ATO promotes the CD36-mediated internalization of ox-LDL, which may explain the reduction in blood lipid levels. Further, ATO reduced TLR4 expression in plaques and macrophages and inhibited LPS-induced p65 nuclear translocation and IκB-α degradation.