The effects of radix Salviae miltiorrhizae on lipid accumulation of peroxidized low density lipoprotein in mouse peritoneal macrophages--lipid analysis and morphological studies.

Mouse peritoneal macrophages were incubated in DMEM with pox-LDL and Rradix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (RSM) to investigate the effects of RSM on the internalization of peroxidized low density lipoprotein (pox-LDL) by using lipid analysis and electron microscopy. Lipid peroxide (LPO) concentrations were increased slightly in the medium after incubation of macrophages with normal LDL (n-LDL), while decreased significantly in the media after incubation of macrophages with pox-LDL. In the three groups with pox-LDL, it could be found that there was a dose-dependent decrease of concentrations of LPO and total cholesterol (TCH) in the two RSM groups, and the decrease in the two RSM groups was much greater than in the group without RSM. RSM accelerated a more decrease of LPO than cholesterol contents in the media containing pox-LDL. The ultrastructural studies also showed that RSM induced the accumulation of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm of mouse peritoneal macrophages. The results suggested that RSM could accelerate the phagocytosis and degradation of pox-LDL by macrophages.