The atherogenic effects of serum amyloid A are potentially mediated via inflammation and apoptosis

Aim: the mechanism through which saa contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis remains unclear. the objective of this study was therefore to determine whether saa plays a role in the onset of atherosclerosis via inflammatory and apoptotic pathways.methods: an array of experiments,including cell cultures,mtt assays,quantitative real-time pcr and western blotting,were carried out in order to assess the effects of human recombinant saa on nf-κb activation and the role of nf-κb in the onset of saa-induced inflammation and apoptosis.results: we found that saa (80 μg/ml) induced 3.5- to 37.8-fold increases in the expression of targets known to play important roles in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis (i.e.,icam-1,mcp-1,mmp-9 and tf) via nf-κb regulation within one hour after exposure. raw264.7 cells treated with increasing doses of saa showed regulation of apoptotic targets and a dose-dependent reduction in cell viability,with 69% cell viability observed following exposure to 80 μg/ml of saa for 24 hours.conclusions: our results suggest that saa contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis via both inflammatory and apoptotic mechanisms. © 2014 japan atherosclerosis society.