The mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine underlying the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis

Publication date: June 2019Source: Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines, Volume 17, Issue 6Author(s): Ting-Ting LI, Zhi-Bin WANG, Yang LI, Feng CAO, Bing-You YANG, Hai-Xue KUANGAbstractAtherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. The incidence of AS is increasing in the last decades. So development of safe and effective therapeutics for treating AS has become prominently important. Although there are numerous chemical drugs available for treating AS, some drugs are not effective and some have serious side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history for the prevention and treatment of AS due to its less side effects and superior efficacy. This paper describes the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms for prevention and treatment of AS by TCM or its active components. Some TCM, e.g. XuemaiNing, Tongxinluo and Salvia miltiorrhiza have been reported to have cardio-protective effect. Some active components of TCM, e.g. saikosaponin-A, kuwanon G, luteolin and β-elemene have been isolated from various TCM and demonstrated to have beneficial effects on prevention and treatment of AS.
Source: Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research