Department of Cardiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Mediators Inflamm. 2019 Jul 11;2019:6710759. doi: 10.1155/2019/6710759. eCollection 2019.
Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the world. Atherosclerosis, a kind of chronic vascular disorder related to multiple pathogenic processes, has been reported to be an underlying cause of CVDs. Shexiang Baoxin Pill (SBP) is a traditional Chinese medicine formulation and has been broadly used for the treatment of CVDs in East Asia. However, whether SBP affects the development of atherosclerosis is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the antiatherosclerotic roles and relevant mechanisms of SBP in apolipoprotein E knockout mice. Our results showed that SBP treatment markedly decreased the size of atherosclerotic plaques of the entire aorta and the aortic sinus. Biochemical analyses indicated that SBP gavage improved oxidative stress in vivo, as seen by the level elevation of SOD, CAT, and GSH and the level reduction of MDA, HO, and MPO. Moreover, the concentration of MCP-1, IFN-, and IL-17A was reduced, and the content of IL-10 and TGF-1 was increased in the serum from SBP-treated mice. We discovered that the expression levels of inflammatory factors including VCAM-1, ICAM-1, IL-6, and IL-2 in the vascular wall of the SBP group were also decreased in comparison with those of the normal saline group. Moreover, we found that SBP alleviated the activation of inflammation-related pathways in the aorta tissue, as seen by the level elevation of Mfn2 and reduced phosphorylation of p38, JNK, and NF-B. Furthermore, western blot showed that SBP administration reduced the level of SR-A and LOX-1 and elevated the content of LXR, ABCA1, and ABCG1 in the arterial wall, indicating that SBP was capable of alleviating lipid influx and facilitating lipid efflux. In conclusion, our data suggested that SBP exerted antiatherosclerotic effects via improving inflammation response and inhibiting lipid accumulation.
流行病学研究表明，心血管疾病（CVDs）是世界上主要的死亡原因。动脉粥样硬化是一种与多种致病过程相关的慢性血管疾病，据报道是 CVDs 的一个潜在原因。麝香保心丸（SBP）是一种中药配方，在东亚被广泛用于治疗 CVDs。然而，SBP 是否影响动脉粥样硬化的发展尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨 SBP 在载脂蛋白 E 敲除小鼠中的抗动脉粥样硬化作用及相关机制。我们的结果表明，SBP 治疗显著减小了整个主动脉和主动脉窦的动脉粥样硬化斑块的大小。生化分析表明，SBP 灌胃改善了体内氧化应激，表现为 SOD、CAT 和 GSH 的水平升高以及 MDA、HO 和 MPO 的水平降低。此外，SBP 处理小鼠血清中 MCP-1、IFN-γ 和 IL-17A 的浓度降低，而 IL-10 和 TGF-β1 的含量增加。我们发现，与生理盐水组相比，SBP 组血管壁中炎症因子 VCAM-1、ICAM-1、IL-6 和 IL-2 的表达水平也降低。此外，我们发现 SBP 减轻了主动脉组织中与炎症相关的途径的激活，表现为 Mfn2 水平升高和 p38、JNK 和 NF-κB 磷酸化降低。此外，Western blot 显示 SBP 给药降低了动脉壁中 SR-A 和 LOX-1 的水平，增加了 LXR、ABCA1 和 ABCG1 的含量，表明 SBP 能够减轻脂质内流并促进脂质外排。总之，我们的数据表明，SBP 通过改善炎症反应和抑制脂质积累发挥抗动脉粥样硬化作用。
