Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Putra Malaysia
MyJurnal

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is initiated by damage to the endothelium followed by accumulation of inflammation tissue, foam cell formation, migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cell and rupture of the plaque causing formation of thrombus. The study aims to determine the anti-atherogenic or inflammatory effect of BVFCE and its underlying mechanism in in vivo model. Five groups of four rabbits were treated with normal diet (Group I), Berberis vulgaris fruit aqueous extract [25mg/kg(group II), 50mg/kg (group III) bodyweight], aspirin 30mg/kg bodyweight (group IV) and cholesterol 2% (group V) for 10 weeks of treatments. At the end of the study, the rabbits blood were collected and aorta harvested post euthanized. Serum of the blood tested for cytokines (interleukin- 6 and tumour necrosis factor – alpha while aortic plaque composition of intimal and medial cell population in aorta was assessed by macrophages specific antibody called monoclonal mouse antibody directed against RAM-11 using immunohistology-staining techniques. The fatty streak lesion were analysed macroscopically by Sudan IV and microscopically by using the Olympus Cell ^F Imaging software and served to compute intimal area. The total macrophage-rich (RAM-11-positive) area measured using a manual contrast-based, area analysis function of the Olympus Cell ^F Imaging software. Macrophage density calculated as the ratio between macrophage and intimal areas. The RAM-11– positive were cells identified by brown staining, were divided by the total number of intimal and medial cells. Macrophage infiltration into the aorta wall showed dose dependent inhibition RAM11- positive cells in the vessel wall from 1.1 ± 1.2% of total cells with Berberis vulgaris 25mg/kg to 0.58 ±1.8% with Berberis vulgaris extract (50mg/kg) while positive control showed 1.9 ± 1.1%. This study demonstrates that Berberis vulgaris fruit aqueous extract is associated with changes in rabbit aorta plaque composition that favor lesion stability, by a reduction in lipid content and inflammation, in this case, interleukin -6 and macrophages, which gave an effect of anti -inflammation.