Role and mechanism of cinnamaldehyde-activated TRPA1 in the dedifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells
YU Xiaoxiao
WANG Lirong
LI Binghu
Abstract：Objective To explore the role and mechanism cinnamaldehyde-activated of transient receptor potential channel A1 subtype(subfamily A,member 1,TRPA1)in the dedifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMC).Methods Oxidized low-density lipoprotein(ox-LDL)was utilized to induce VSMC differentiation.The VSMCs were divided into control group(without ox-LDL treatment),ox-LDL group(50 ug/mL)and combination group(50 μg/mL ox-LDL+10 μmol/L cinnamaldehyde).Western blotting was used to detect protein expression levels.Immunofluorescence staining was employed to measure the production of mitochondrial derived vesicles(MDV).Results With prolonged of ox-LDL stimulation,the expression of TRPA1 was gradually decreased in VSMC,showing the most significant reduction at 6 and 12 h(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the expression levels of osteopontin(OPN)and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)were notably up-regulated,while that of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)was obviously down-regulated in the ox-LDL group(P＜0.05).Significantly down-regulated levels of OPN and PCNA(1.33±0.13 vs 1.72±0.20,1.09±0.10 vs 1.36±0.11,P＜0.05),while up-regulation of α-SMA(0.79±0.09 vs 0.57±0.12,P＜0.05)were observed in the combination group than the ox-LDL group.MDV in VSMC was significantly reduced in the ox-LDL group than the control group,whereas,it was increased in the combination group when compared with the ox-LDL group.Conclusion Reduced TRPA1 expression is involved in the dedifferentiation process of VSMC induced by ox-LDL.Activating TRPA1 with cinnamaldehyde may inhibit VSMC dedifferentiation by promoting MDV generation.
Keywords：cinnamaldehydeatherosclerosismyocytessmooth muscleTRPA1 cation channel
Publication Date：2026-03-15
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-31(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 383-387 )