Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) triggers hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) accumulation via redox-dependent mechanisms

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and macrophages play a central role in atherosclerosis. Here, we obtained evidence that oxLDL induced hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) protein accumulation in human macrophages (Mono-Mac-6) under normoxia. HIF-1α accumulation was attenuated by pretreatment with the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), the nitric oxide (NO) donor S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase inhibitors such as diphenyleniodonium (DPI) or 4-(2-aminoethyl)-benzenesulfonyl fluoride (AEBSF), thus implicating the contribution of oxLDL-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Whereas oxLDL did not modulate HIF-1α mRNA levels, experiments with cycloheximide pointed to a translational mechanism in oxLDL action. HIF-1–dependent luciferase reporter gene analysis underscored HIF-1 transactivation. Our results indicate that oxLDL induced HIF-1α accumulation and HIF-1–dependent reporter gene activation in human macrophages via a redox-mediated pathway. This finding may suggest a role of HIF-1 in atherosclerosis and oxLDL-induced pathogenesis.