Abstract:

Objective: To investigate the effect of eicosapetaenoic acid (EPA) on the formation of THP-1 monocyte-derived
foam cells. Methods: THP-1 monocytes were cultured with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and oxidized low-density
lipoprotein (ox-LDL), and intervened by EPA at concentrations of 200, 100 and 50 μmol/L for 48 hours. The cholesterol
content of foam cells was measured by cholesterol kit. The concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α in culture supernatant were
detected by ELISA. The expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) was detected by semi-quantitative
reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: EPA decreased the intracellular concentration of
cholesterol (P < 0.05) when compared with the control group. EPA decreased the concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α in
culture supernatant (P < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner and low-dose EPA increased the expression of ABCA1 mRNA.
Conclusion: EPA reduces the accumulation of intracellular cholesterol and inhibits the transformation of macrophages
into foam cells. EPA decreases the secretion of inflammatory factor and low-dose of EPA increases the expression of
ABCA1 mRNA, which may partially explain its anti-atherosclerotic activity.

Key words: eicosapetaenoic acid, foam cell, atherosclerosis