Sorghum is widely grown all over the world for food and feed. The effects of sorghum extracts on general inflammation have been previously studied, but its anti-vascular inflammatory effects are unknown. Atherosclerosis is a staple causation of CHD (Coronary Heart Disease). The development of atherosclerotic lesions thickens the blood vessel walls and inhibits blood rotation. Atherosclerosis is caused by lipid level and blood vessel damage. Chronic and subchronic arterial inflammation are important cause of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Especially, the release of the atherogenic and pro-atherogenic cytokines as TNF-a make the exhibition of endothelial adhesion molecules including P-selectin, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 mediating adherence of circulating monocytes and lymphocytes.
In this study, our aim is to confirm the potency of fermented sorghum extract as preventive agent for vascular inflammatory. To do this, the human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) were cultured with fermented extracts of Sorghum (fSBE) and induced with TNF-α to confirm the inhibitory effect of VCAM-, ICAM-1 and COX-2 and increasing effect of HO-1.
And components profiling was carried out to clarify the efficacy and indicator components of fermented Sorghum. As a result, the indicator component of fermented Sorghum was identified as ferulic acid. Also, because contents of procyanidin B1, B2 and C1 were increased by fermentation, the effect of procyanidin B1, B2 and C1 on inhibition of vascular inflammation was confirmed.
These reasons of results might be due to the increased concentrations of procyanidin B1 (about 6-fold) and C1 (about 30-fold) produced through fermentation with Aspergillus oryzae NK. Overall, the results demonstrated that fSBE enhanced the inhibition of the inflammatory response and adherent molecule expression in HASMCs.