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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1486072
This article is part of the Research Topic The Role of Inflammation and Immune Control in Digestive Disease and Therapeutic Approaches View all 19 articles

Atractylenolide-I Prevents Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation Through Inhibiting Inflammation

Provisionally accepted
Shuxiao Chen Shuxiao Chen 1Xiaotian Liu Xiaotian Liu 2*Xincheng Zhou Xincheng Zhou 1*Weixiao Lin Weixiao Lin 3*Haoran Ma Haoran Ma 4*Minting Liu Minting Liu 4*Keli Zhong Keli Zhong 5*Qiming Ma Qiming Ma 6*Qin Chengjian Qin Chengjian 7*
  • 1 Department of Bariatric Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 International School, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China
  • 3 School of Stomatology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 4 Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
  • 5 Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Guangzhou, China
  • 6 Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China
  • 7 Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative disease with high mortality. Chronic inflammation plays a vital role in the formation of AAA. Atractylenolide-I (ATL-I) is a major bioactive component of Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae that exerts anti-inflammatory effects in various diseases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of ATL-I in the progression of AAA.Methods: AAA was constructed in C57BL/6 mice by porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE)-incubation, and the diameter of the aorta was measured by ultrasound. ATL-I was administered by gavage on the second day after modeling to explore its significance in AAA. The pathological and molecular alteration was investigated by immunostaining, ELISA, qRT-PCR and Western blotting.Results: ATL-I inhibited the dilatation of the abdominal aorta and decreased the incidence of AAA. ATL-I alleviated the infiltration of macrophages in the adventitia and reduced the levels of proinflammatory factor IL-1β and IL-6 in the aorta and circulatory system, while increasing the expression of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10. Moreover, ATL-I restrained loss of smooth muscle cells and elastic fiber degradation by suppressing MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression. Mechanistically, phospho-AMPK expression was elevated in AAA groups, and ATL-I administration suppressed its expression to improve the pathological damage of aorta.Conclusions: ATL-I meliorated vascular inflammation by targeting AMPK signaling, ultimately inhibiting AAA formation, which provided an alternative agent for AAA treatment.

    Keywords: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Atractylenolide-I, Inflammation, AMPK, Treatment

    Received: 25 Aug 2024; Accepted: 08 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Liu, Zhou, Lin, Ma, Liu, Zhong, Ma and Chengjian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xiaotian Liu, International School, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China
    Xincheng Zhou, Department of Bariatric Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China
    Weixiao Lin, School of Stomatology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong Province, China
    Haoran Ma, Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
    Minting Liu, Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
    Keli Zhong, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Guangzhou, China
    Qiming Ma, Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China
    Qin Chengjian, Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, 533000, China

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