Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jun 1:599:42-50.
doi: 10.1016/j.abb.2016.02.017. Epub 2016 Feb 15.

Antiatherogenic effects of ellagic acid and urolithins in vitro

Laura Mele  1 , Pedro Mena  1 , Antonio Piemontese  2 , Valentina Marino  2 , Noelia López-Gutiérrez  3 , Franco Bernini  2 , Furio Brighenti  1 , Ilaria Zanotti  4 , Daniele Del Rio  5
Affiliations

Antiatherogenic effects of ellagic acid and urolithins in vitro

Laura Mele et al. Arch Biochem Biophys. .

Abstract

Atherosclerosis, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, is characterized by impaired endothelial function and lipid metabolism, among other factors. Ellagitannins are a class of phenolic compounds that may play a role in cardiovascular health. This work aimed to study the potential atheroprotective effects of urolithins, ellagitannin-derived gut microbiota metabolites, on different key factors in atherosclerosis development: the ability of monocytes to adhere to endothelial cells and the uptake and efflux of cholesterol by macrophages. The biotransformations urolithins undergo in peripheral cells were also evaluated. Results indicated that some urolithins and ellagic acid were able to reduce the adhesion of THP-1 monocytes to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the secretion of a cellular adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1) and pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-6). Urolithin C, a combination of urolithins A and B, and ellagic acid also decreased the accumulation of cholesterol in THP-1-derived macrophages, but they were not able to promote cholesterol efflux. The analysis of cell media by UHPLC-ESI-MS(n) indicated urolithins and ellagic underwent extensive metabolism, with sulfate and methyl conjugation. This evidence indicates that atherosclerotic processes may be attenuated by urolithins, but future human intervention trials are required to establish if is translated in vivo.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Cholesterol transport; Ellagitannin metabolites; Endothelial function; Peripheral metabolism; Urolithins.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources