Melatonin Ameliorates the Progression of Atherosclerosis via Mitophagy Activation and NLRP3 Inflammasome Inhibition

Figure 5

Melatonin inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation through mitophagy induction and ROS scavenging. (a) The colocalization of LC3 and MitoTracker in the melatonin-treated group was revealed by the immunofluorescence microscopy images. (b) The mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was examined by the JC-1 flow cytometry assay (ox-LDL group: 27.8%, ox-LDL + MEL group: 9.51%, ox-LDL + MEL + si-Sirt3 group: 21.9%, and ox-LDL + MEL+3MA group: 27.3%; ). (c) The mitochondrial ROS generation in each group was revealed by the MitoSOX value results. (d) TEM images showed that induced mitochondrial impairment in macrophages, evidenced by swollen mitochondria with lysis of cristae. Moreover, the identifiable mitochondria in autophagosomes (the indicator for the presence of mitophagy) were observed in ox-LDL + MEL-grouped cells, confirming the presence of mitophagy. (e) The LC3II/I ratio, Beclin1, Parkin, and TOM20 expressions were examined by the Western blot assay. versus the Con group; versus the ox-LDL group; and versus the ox-LDL + MEL group.

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