Cinnamaldehyde and allopurinol reduce fructose-induced cardiac inflammation and fibrosis by attenuating CD36-mediated TLR4/6-IRAK4/1 signaling to suppress NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Sci Rep. 2016 Jun 8:6:27460. doi: 10.1038/srep27460.

Abstract

Fructose consumption induces metabolic syndrome to increase cardiovascular disease risk. Cinnamaldehyde and allopurinol possess anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activity to relieve heart injury in metabolic syndrome. But the mechanisms of fructose-induced cardiac injury, and cardioprotective effects of cinnamaldehyde and allopurinol are not completely understood. In this study, fructose-fed rats displayed metabolic syndrome with elevated serum ox-LDL, cardiac oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis. Scavenger receptor CD36, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), TLR6, IL-1R-associated kinase 4/1 (IRAK4/1), nucleotide-binding domain (NOD)-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, interleukin-1β, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), drosophila mothers against DPP homolog (Smad) 2/3 phosphorylation and Smad4 were increased in animal and H9c2 cell models. These pathological processes were further evaluated in ox-LDL or fructose-exposed H9c2 cells pretreated with ROS scavenger and CD36 specific inhibitor, or IRAK1/4 inhibitor, and transfected with CD36, NLRP3, or IRAK4/1 siRNA, demonstrating that NLPR3 inflammasome activation through CD36-mediated TLR4/6-IRAK4/1 signaling may promote cardiac inflammation and fibrosis. Cinnamaldehyde and allopurinol reduced cardiac oxidative stress to suppress NLPR3 inflammasome activation and TGF-β/Smads signaling by inhibiting CD36-mediated TLR4/6-IRAK4/1 signaling under fructose induction. These results suggest that the blockage of CD36-mediated TLR4/6-IRAK4/1 signaling to suppress NLRP3 inflammasome activation by cinnamaldehyde and allopurinol may protect against fructose-induced cardiac inflammation and fibrosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acrolein / analogs & derivatives*
  • Acrolein / pharmacology
  • Allopurinol / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • CD36 Antigens / physiology*
  • Fibrosis / metabolism
  • Fibrosis / prevention & control*
  • Inflammasomes / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Myocarditis / metabolism
  • Myocarditis / prevention & control*
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein / metabolism*
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4 / metabolism*

Substances

  • CD36 Antigens
  • Inflammasomes
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein
  • Nlrp3 protein, rat
  • Tlr4 protein, rat
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4
  • Allopurinol
  • Acrolein
  • IRAK4 protein, rat
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • cinnamaldehyde