Advances in anti-atherosclerosis mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

ABSTRACT

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease, periph-eral vascular disease and atherosclerosis, are the first cause of death worldwide. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is a complex process that involves a number of cellular processes and molecular mecha-nisms, such as disorder of lipid metabolism, inflammatory cell infiltration, oxidative stress, vascular en-dothelial cells injury and activation of smooth muscle cells. Their interaction eventually leads to plaque rupture and thrombus formation, causing serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Chinese medicine has displayed rich anti-AS activities and clinical applications. This review summarizes the anti-atherosclerosis effects and possible mechanisms of Chinese medicine in regulating lipid metabolism, anti-inflammation and antioxidation, protecting endothelial cells, inhibiting the proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells, improving coagulation and fibrinolysis systems and stabilizing the plaque.