Zhou Aiming, Peng Nian, Yang Lin, Yang Siyuan, Wang Jiawen
School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China.
Department of Cardiac Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China.
BMC Microbiol. 2025 Jul 11;25(1):432. doi: 10.1186/s12866-025-04151-9.
Atherosclerosis is the main pathogenic factor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but the current effective treatment drugs are limited. The search for an effective treatment is urgent. The objective of this research was to examine the potential role of tanshinone in the treatment of atherosclerosis through the modulation of gut microbiota and Trimethylamino-n-oxide (TMAO), which is expected to provide a new therapeutic strategy and target for clinical treatment.
In APOE mice disease models, tanshinone alleviates atherosclerosis. Analysis through 16 S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a significant increase in lactobacillus within the tanshinone-treated group, while a notable decrease in lachnospiraceae was observed. Conversely, in the model group, lactobacillus levels diminished, whereas proteobacteria and lachnospiraceae levels increased. The primary functional enrichment of species in both groups was closely associated with lipid metabolism, with a more pronounced enhancement of lipid metabolism noted in the tanshinone group. The concentration of TMAO in the high-fat diet treated group was significantly greater than that observed in both the control group and the tanshinone group. Furthermore, the expression of NF-κB, IL-1β,TNF-α in the tanshinone group indicated a reduction by WB or RT-qPCR analyses relative to the high-fat diet treated group.
Tanshinone has the potential to ameliorate atherosclerosis induced by a high-fat diet by promoting the proliferation of lactobacillus, reducing the abundance of lachnospiraceae, enhancing lipid metabolism, and diminishing the production of TMAO.
动脉粥样硬化是心脑血管疾病的主要致病因素，但目前有效的治疗药物有限。寻找有效的治疗方法迫在眉睫。本研究的目的是通过调节肠道微生物群和氧化三甲胺（TMAO）来研究丹参酮在动脉粥样硬化治疗中的潜在作用，有望为临床治疗提供新的治疗策略和靶点。
在载脂蛋白E（APOE）小鼠疾病模型中，丹参酮可减轻动脉粥样硬化。通过16S rRNA基因测序分析发现，丹参酮治疗组中乳酸杆菌显著增加，而毛螺菌科显著减少。相反，在模型组中，乳酸杆菌水平降低，而变形菌门和毛螺菌科水平增加。两组物种的主要功能富集均与脂质代谢密切相关，丹参酮组脂质代谢增强更为明显。高脂饮食治疗组的TMAO浓度显著高于对照组和丹参酮组。此外，通过蛋白质免疫印迹（WB）或逆转录定量聚合酶链反应（RT-qPCR）分析表明，丹参酮组中核因子κB（NF-κB）、白细胞介素-1β（IL-1β）、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）的表达相对于高脂饮食治疗组有所降低。
丹参酮有可能通过促进乳酸杆菌增殖、降低毛螺菌科丰度、增强脂质代谢和减少TMAO生成来改善高脂饮食诱导的动脉粥样硬化。
