Secreted frizzled related protein 4 (SFRP4), a member of the SFRPs family, contributes to a significant function in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. However, there is not enough evidence to prove the antiatherosclerosis effect of SFRP4 in ApoE knock-out (KO) mice. ApoE KO mice were fed a western diet and injected adenovirus (Ad)-SFRP4 through the tail vein for 12 weeks. Contrasted with the control cohort, the area of atherosclerotic plaque in ApoE KO mice overexpressing SFRP4 was reduced significantly. Plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was elevated in the Ad-SFRP4 group. RNA sequence analysis indicated that there were 96 differentially expressed genes enriched in 10 signaling pathways in the mRNA profile of aortic atherosclerosis lesions. The analysis data also revealed the expression of a number of genes linked to metabolism, organism system, and human disease. In summary, our data demonstrates that SFRP4 could play an important role in improving atherosclerotic plaque formation in the aorta.

中文翻译：

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SFRP4 减少 ApoE 缺陷小鼠的动脉粥样硬化斑块形成

分泌性卷曲相关蛋白 4 (SFRP4) 是 SFRP 家族的成员，在代谢和心血管疾病中发挥着重要作用。然而，目前还没有足够的证据证明SFRP4对ApoE敲除（KO）小鼠的抗动脉粥样硬化作用。ApoE KO 小鼠采用西方饮食喂养，并通过尾静脉注射腺病毒 (Ad)-SFRP4，持续 12 周。与对照组相比，过表达SFRP4的ApoE KO小鼠的动脉粥样硬化斑块面积显着减少。Ad-SFRP4 组血浆高密度脂蛋白胆固醇升高。RNA序列分析表明主动脉粥样硬化病变mRNA谱中有96个差异表达基因，富集于10条信号通路。分析数据还揭示了许多与新陈代谢、生物系统和人类疾病相关的基因的表达。总之，我们的数据表明 SFRP4 在改善主动脉粥样硬化斑块形成方面可以发挥重要作用。