Regulatory T Cells: A New Target of Chinese Medicine in Treatment of Atherosclerosis

Muscone inhibits the progression of atherosclerotic plaques in mice aorta by inhibiting the NF-κB/p65 pathway

Atherosclerosis (AS) is considered to be one of the main pathogenic factors of coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction and peripheral vascular disease. Oxidative stress and inflammation run through the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular events. Muscone is a natural extract of deer musk and also the main physiological active substance of musk. This study investigated the impact of muscone on atherosclerosis. ApoE-/- mice were used to establised AS model and injected with low-dose (4 mg/kg/day) or high-dose (8 mg/kg/day) of muscone intraperitoneally for 4 weeks. Then aortic tissues were collected, and pathological sections of the aorta were prepared for oil red staining, HE and masson staining. The changes of MDA, SOD, VCAM-1, NF-κB, and TNF-α were observed by Western blotting or immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that high-dose muscone could effectively reduce the plaque area/aortic root area and relative atherosclerotic area, reduce the collagen composition in plaque tissue. In addition, we also found that high-dose muscone can effectively increase MDA level, reduce the level of SOD, and inhibit the expression of VCAM-1, NF-κB/p65, TNF-α in arterial plaques. Our results indicate that the administration of muscone has the benefit of inhibiting atherosclerosis. The potential mechanisms may be associated with antioxidant effect and inhibition of inflammatory reaction in arterial plaques. With the increasing understanding of the relationship between muscone and atherosclerosis, muscone has high potential value as a new drug to treat atherosclerosis.

Exploring the mechanism of atherosclerosis and the intervention of traditional Chinese medicine combined with mesenchymal stem cells based on inflammatory targets

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory vascular disease, which is the common pathological basis of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The immune inflammatory response throughout the course of AS has been evidenced by studies, in which a large number of immune cells and inflammatory factors play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AS. The inflammation related to AS is mainly mediated by inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, TNF-α, hs-CRP, SAA), inflammatory enzymes (Lp-PLA2, sPLA2-IIA, MMPs), and inflammatory signaling pathways (P38 MAPK signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, TLR2/4 signaling pathway). It is involved in the pathophysiological process of AS, and the degree of inflammation measured by it can be used to evaluate the risk of progression of AS plaque instability. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown the advantage of minimal side effects in immune regulation and has made some progress in the prevention and treatment of AS. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as self-renewal, highly differentiated, and pluripotent stem cells with anti-inflammatory properties and immune regulation, have been widely used for AS treatment. They also play an important inflammation-immune regulatory function in AS. Notably, in terms of regulating immune cells and inflammatory factors, compared with TCM and its compound, the combination therapy has obvious anti-inflammatory advantages over the use of MSCs alone. It is an important means to further improve the efficacy of AS and provides a new way for the prevention and treatment of AS.

Relationship between Angiotensin II, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, and Arteriosclerosis Obliterans

Objective

To investigate the relationship between angiotensin II (Ang II), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO).

Methods

60 ASO patients diagnosed and treated from October 2019 to December 2021 were selected for the observation group while 30 healthy physical examiners were for the control group. The general information (gender, age, history of smoking, diabetes, and hypertension) and arterial blood pressure (systolic and diastolic blood pressure) of the two groups were collected, and parameters like disease site and duration, Fontaine stage, and ankle-brachial index (ABI) of ASO patients have been evaluated. Ang II, VEGF, uric acid (UA), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) were also detected for the two groups. The variations in UA, LDL, HDL, TG, and TC among two groups along with levels of Ang II and VEGF in ASO patients in accordance to conditions like the general situation, disease duration, disease site, Fontaine stage, and ABI risk level have been studied to establish a correlation between Ang II and VEGF and ASO.

Results

(1) The proportion of males with a history of smoking, diabetes, and hypertension was higher (P < 0.05) among ASO patients in comparison to the control group. The diastolic blood pressure, LDL, TC, Ang II, and VEGF levels were found to be higher (P < 0.05) whereas HDL was low (P < 0.01). (2) The level of Ang II in male patients with ASO was significantly higher than that in female ASO patients (P < 0.05). In ASO patients, the levels of Ang II and VEGF increased not only with age (P < 0.01) but also with progression in Fontaine stages II, III, and IV (P < 0.01). (3) Logistic regression analysis revealed Ang II and VEGF as risk factors for ASO. (4) An AUC (area under the ROC (receiver operator characteristic) curve) for Ang II and VEGF for the diagnosis of ASO was 0.764 (good) and 0.854 (very good), respectively, while their combined AUC in diagnosing ASO was 0.901 (excellent). The AUC of Ang II and VEGF together in diagnosing ASO was greater than that of Ang II and VEGF alone along with higher specificity as well (all P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Ang II and VEGF were correlated with the occurrence and development of ASO. The AUC analysis demonstrates that Ang II and VEGF were highly discriminative of ASO.