Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a pathology related to oxidative stress and inflammation. Prevention of atherosclerosis can be achieved by blocking the oxidation and inflammation process that occurs on the endothelial cells. Tinospora cispa, a climber that is commonly found in primary rainforest is widely distributed in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. T. cispa which has been claimed to exert various health promoting effects has been reported to possess anti-diabetic, anti-malarial and anti-inflammatory properties. This study sought to investigate the effect of T. crispa extracts in preventing oxidative stress and inflammation induced by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)–α, respectively. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured on 6-wells plate before treated by TCAE and TCME at various concentrations (100, 200, 400 and 600 µg/ml). After 30 min of incubation, H₂O₂ or TNF-α (10 ng/ml) was administered on HUVECs. HUVECs were harvested after 24 h and tested for CAT, SOD, GPx, MDA, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and NO using various kit. The result showed that TCAE and TCME showed modulatory effect on H₂O₂-induced CAT, SOD and GPx activity. Concomitantly, MDA level was reduced by pretreatment of TCAE and TCME for 24 h. In addition, TCAE and TCME showed an inhibitory effect on TNF-α induced secretion of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 signaling molecule while NO secretion was increased. Therefore, these results showed a protective effect of T. crispa extracts on the H₂O₂–induced oxidative stress and TNF-α-induced inflammation.

Key words: Atherosclerosis, Tinospora crispa, oxidative stress, inflammation, H₂O₂, TNF-α, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).