查看文章

Macrophage activation and polarization play a central role in atherosclerotic plaque fate. The M1/M2 activation phenotypes represent two profiles of the macrophage polarization state. During atherosclerosis regression or stabilization, macrophages switch from M1 proinflammatory phenotype to M2 anti‐inflammatory reparative one. Here, we investigated whether the natural compound lupeol, a pentacyclic triterpene, induces phenotypical and functional changes in human M1 macrophages and counteracts the proinflammatory signalling triggered by 7‐keto‐cholesterol (7KC), a major product of oxidative stress‐mediated cholesterol oxidation. Flow cytometric and immunochemical analysis showed that the treatment with lupeol of M1 monocyte‐derived macrophages M_(IFN-γ/LPS) specifically stimulated these cells to upregulate the expression of the anti‐inflammatory cytokines interleukin‐ (IL‐)10 and TGF‐β, and of …