Ginkgo bilobaExtract Inhibits Tumor Necrosis Factor-α–Induced Reactive Oxygen Species Generation, Transcription Factor Activation, and Cell Adhesion Molecule Expression in Human Aortic Endothelial Cells

Abstract

Objective— This study was conducted to examination whether Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), a Chinese herb with antioxidant activity, could reduce cytokine-induced monocyte/human aortic endothelial cell (HAEC) interaction, a pivotal early event in atherogenesis. Methods and Results— Pretreatment of HAECs with GBE (50 and 100 μg/mL for 18 hours) significantly suppressed cellular binding between the human monocytic cell line U937 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-stimulated HAECs by using in vitro binding assay (68.7% and 60.1% inhibitions, respectively). Cell enzyme–linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot analysis showed that GBE (50 μg/mL for 18 hours) significantly attenuated TNF-α–induced cell surface and total protein expression of vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (63.5% and 69.2%, respectively; PPPConclusions— GBE could reduce cytokine-stimulated endothelial adhesiveness by downregulating intracellular reactive oxygen species formation, nuclear factor-κB and activator protein 1 activation, and adhesion molecule expression in HAECs, supporting the notion that the natural compound Ginkgo biloba may have potential implications in clinical atherosclerosis disease.