The aim of the study is to identify the effects and underlying mechanisms of
visfatin on
inflammation and necroptosis in vascular endothelial cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were stimulated with
visfatin or pretreated with Polyinosinic
acid (LOX-1 inhibitor). By using the Western blot, RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry,
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA), MTT and flow cytometry technique, the occurrence of
inflammation and necroptosis in HUVECs were evaluated. Our results showed that 100 ng/mL
visfatin significantly increased the
mRNA and
protein expression of
monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and LOX-1 after 24 hours' treatment in HUVECs. However, pretreatment with Polyinosinic
acid could significantly reduce the expression of MCP-1 compared with
visfatin group. Additionally, 100 ng/mL
visfatin could induce the production of necrotic features and increase the
mRNA expression of BMF (one of the markers of necroptosis), while pretreating with Polyinosinic
acid markedly downregulated the
mRNA expression of BMF gene and promoted the cell proliferation. These results indicate that
visfatin might induce
inflammation and necroptosis via LOX-1 in HUVECs, suggesting that
visfatin plays a central role in the development of
atherosclerosis.