Effect of Opium on Lipid Profile and Expression of Liver X Receptor Alpha (LXR<i>α</i>) in Normolipidemic Mouse
- 1 Department of Biochemistry, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
- 2 Department of Laboratory Science, Islamic Azad University, Borūjerd Branch, Borūjerd, Iran
- 3 Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
- 4 Department of Laboratory Science, Islamic Azad University, Borūjerd Branch, Borūjerd, Iran
- 5 Department of Laboratory Science, Islamic Azad University, Borūjerd Branch, Borūjerd, Iran
- 6 Department of basic science, Tehran Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Many people believe that opium has beneficial effects on lipid profile which results in reduced atherosclerosis. Opium contains several alkaloids and biological active components, which some of them are used for atherosclerosis treatment. The liver X receptor α (LXRα) is an important regulator of cholesterol and glucose homeostasis that belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily. This study aimed to investigate the effects of opium on glucose, lipid profile and LXRα expression. Sixteen N-mary mice randomly were divided into two groups (control and addict), and were studied for one month. Serum lipid profile, Fasting blood sugar (FBS), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined. Also LXR mRNA and protein levels were determined by Reverse Transcription PCR and western blotting. This study showed that opium significantly reduced total cholesterol (P < 0.05), While the difference in blood glucose, triglyceride (TG), High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c) and Very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(VLDL-c), as well as AST and ALT between addict and control groups were not significant. More importantly, LXR protein and mRNA levels significantly increased (P < 0.05) in intestine of addict group in comparison with control, while the change in LXR protein and mRNA in the liver were not significant compared with control. The results of this study showed that opium addiction reduced total cholesterol and increased LXR expression in intestine. Further researches need to determine effective components.
- A. Mohammadi, M. Darabi, M. Nasry, M. J. Saabet-Jahromi, R. Malek-Pour-Afshare and H. Sheibani, “Effect of Opium Addiction on Lipid Profile and Atherosclerosis Formation in Hypercholesterolemic Rabbits,” Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology, Vol. 61, No. 2, 2009, pp. 145149. doi:10.1016/j.etp.2008.08.001
- S. Asgary, N. Sarrafzadegan, G. A. Naderi and R. Rozbehani, “Effect of Opium Addiction on New and Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Do Duration of Addiction and Route of Administration Matter?” Lipids in Health and Disease, Vol. 7, No. 42, 2008, pp. 1-5.
- G. A. Graf, W. P. Li, R. D. Gerard, I. Gelissen, A. White, J. C. Cohen and H. H. Hobbs, “Coexpression of ATPBinding Cassette Proteins ABCG5 and ABCG8 Permits Their Transport to the Apical Surface,” Journal of Clinical Investigation, Vol. 110, No. 5, 2002, pp. 659-669.
- J. K. Kruit, A. K. Groen, T. J. Van Berkel, F. Kuipers, “Emerging Roles of the Intestine in Control of Cholesterol Metabolism,” World Journal of Gastroenterology, Vol. 12, No. 40, 2006, pp. 6429-6439.
- D. H. Volle and J. A. Lobaccaro, “Role of the Nuclear Receptors for Oxysterols LXRs in Steroidogenic Tissues: Beyond the “Foie Gras”, the Steroids and Sex,” Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, Vol. 265-266, 2007, pp. 183-189. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2006.12.018
- H. Najafipoura, J. Joukar, R. Malekpour-Afshar, F. Mirzaeipour and H. R. Nasri, “Passive Opium Smoking Does Not Have Beneficial Effect on Plasma Lipids and Cardiovascular Indices in Hypercholesterolemic Rabbits with Is-Chemic and Non-Ischemic Hearts,” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Vol. 127, No. 2, 2010, pp. 257-263. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2009.11.011
- M. O. Ebesunun, O. Popoola and E. O. Agbedana, “The Effect of Garlic on Plasma Lipids and Lipoproteins in Rats Fed on High Cholesterol Enriched Diet,” Biokemistri, Vol. 19, No. 2, 2007, pp. 53-58.
- A. C. Provost, M. O. Pequignot, K. M. Sainton, S. Gadin, S. Salle, D. Marchant, D. B. Hales and M. Abitbol, “Expression of SR-BI Receptor and StAR Protein in Rat Ocular Tissues,” Comptes Rendus Biologies, Vol. 326, No. 9, 2003, pp. 841-851. doi:10.1016/j.crvi.2003.09.001
- Z. Hajializadeh, S. Esmaeili-Mahani, V. Sheibani, A. Kaeidi, M. Atapour and M. Abbasnejad. “Changes in the Gene Expression of Specific G-Protein Subunits Correlate with Morphine Insensitivity in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats,” Neuropeptides, Vol. 44, No. 4, 2010, pp. 299304. doi:10.1016/j.npep.2010.02.004
- S. J. Thornton, E. Wong, D. S. Lee, S. D. Lee and K. M. Wasan, “Effect of Dietary Fat on Hepatic Liver X Receptor Expression in P-Glycoprotein Deficient Mice: Implications for Cholesterol Metabolism,” Lipids in Health and Disease, Vol. 7, No. 21, 2008, pp. 1-7.