RESUMEN
ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Jiawei Wendantang in preventing and treating diabetic atherosclerosis by observing the effect of this prescription on the nuclear factor-κB / NOD-like receptor protein 3（NF-κB/NLRP3） pathway and related inflammatory cytokines in rat model of diabetic atherosclerosis. MethodFifty-four SPF-grade rats were randomized into blank， model， atorvastatin （0.9 mg·kg-1·d-1）， and high-， medium-， low-dose （18.2， 9.1， 4.55 g·kg-1·d-1， respectively） Jiawei Wendantang groups. The rats in other groups except the blank group were modeled for diabetic atherosclerosis by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and feeding with a high-sugar high-fat diet， and those in the blank group were injected with an equal dose of citric acid buffer and fed with a regular diet. The drug administration lasted for 4 weeks， and the blood glucose level in the tail vein was measured every 6 days. After the last administration， the rats were anesthetized for sample collection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the serum levels of interleukin-18 （IL-18）， C-reactive protein （CRP）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1）. Western blot was employed to determine the relative protein levels of NF-κB p65， NLRP3， and ICAM-1 in the abdominal aorta. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was employed to determine the mRNA levels of NLRP3 and interleukin-1β （IL-1β） in the abdominal aorta. The pathological changes in the thoracic aorta were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showed elevated levels of IL-18， CRP， TNF-α， and ICAM-1 in the serum and blood glucose （P<0.05， P<0.01）， up-regulated protein levels of NF-κB p65， NLRP3， and ICAM-1 （P<0.01）， and up-regulated mRNA levels of NLRP3 and IL-1β （P<0.05）. Compared with model group， Jiawei Wendantang lowered the levels of IL-18， CRP， TNF-α， ICAM-1 and blood glucose （P<0.05， P<0.01）， down-regulated the protein levels of NF-κB p65， NLRP3， and ICAM-1 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated the mRNA levels of NLRP3 and IL-1β （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， Jiawei Wendantang alleviated the pathological injuries in the thoracic aorta. ConclusionJiawei Wendantang may modulate the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway to reduce the release and adhesion of inflammatory cytokines and regulate the blood glucose level to treat diabetic atherosclerosis.