Effect of herbal polyphenols on atherogenic transcriptome

The ancient Indian system of medicine supports the antiatherogenic properties of some herbs. The crosstalk amongst the genes coding for LDLR, LXR alpha, PPARs (alpha, gamma), CD-36 and c-myc may be important in atherogenesis because these genes control lipid metabolism, cytokine production and cellular activity within the arterial wall. Hence, we attempted for the first time to explore whether or not the polyphenols extracted from medicinal herbs had any effect on the transcription of these genes. Normal human mononuclear cells were cultured in the presence of polyphenols (and their HPLC purified sub-fractions) extracted from Green tea (Camellia sinensis), Neem (Azadirachta indica) and Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum). Transcriptional expression of these genes was measured by using RT-PCR and SCION IMAGE analysis software. These polyphenolic extracts were found to have the inherent capacity to inhibit the transcriptional expression of genes having direct involvement in atherogenic process. On the basis of these results, we propose for the first time that HPLC purified polyphenolic fraction IV of Tulsi may have a profound antiatherogenic effect.