BACKGROUND

Atherosclerosis, a persistent inflammatory disease marked by the presence of atherosclerotic plaques or fibrous plaques, is a significant contributor to the onset of the development of cardiovascular disease. Berk contains various active ingredients that have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hypolipidemic properties. Nevertheless, the potential effects of on atherosclerosis have not been systematically reported.

METHOD

In this study, ApoE mice were employed as models of atherosclerosis caused by a high-fat diet (HFD) to investigate the effect of . Gut microbiota and serum metabolism analysis were performed to elucidate the potential mechanism of for its anti-atherosclerosis effects.

RESULTS

significantly decreased the aortic root wall thickness and the area of lipid droplets, regulated lipid levels, and inhibited fat accumulation to improve aortic root lesions. Furthermore, significantly altered serum metabolite (including diethyl phthalate and succinate) levels, regulated the abundance of microbiota, such as and , and suppressed the inflammatory response to ameliorate atherosclerosis via the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)-mediated inflammatory response in HFD-induced ApoE mice.

CONCLUSIONS

These results offer a theoretical basis and data to support as a potential strategy for treating atherosclerosis.