The removal of excess cellular cholesterol is critical for maintaining cellular cholesterol homeostasis. Phellinus linteus polysaccharide extracts (PLPEs) is an immunomudulatory agent with a molecular weight of 153 kd. Here, we analyzed the effects of PLPEs on cholesterol efflux in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-loaded THP-1 (human acute monocytic leukemia cell line) macrophages. Various concentrations of PLPEs (5, 10, 20, and 100 μg/mL) were used to treat cells. Cholesterol efflux analysis was performed to analyze the cholesterol efflux ratio in PLPE-treated cells. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis were conducted to assess the expression of target genes. Low dose of PLPEs (5-20 μg/mL) dose dependently enhanced cholesterol efflux to apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I), evidenced by promoting the expression of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette A1, ATP-binding cassette G1, and peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor γ, key regulators for cholesterol efflux. Moreover, GW9662, a potent antagonist of peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor γ, inhibited PLPE (20 μg/mL)-promoted cholesterol efflux to ApoA-I in a dose-dependent fashion. However, high dose of PLPEs (100 μg/mL) inhibited cholesterol efflux to ApoA-I from ox-LDL-loaded THP-1 macrophages, enhanced the production of superoxide anion, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels, and raised nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase subunits. Thus, these results indicate that low and high doses of PLPEs exhibit opposite effects on cholesterol efflux from ox-LDL-loaded THP-1 cells.
