Background: Atherosclerosis (AS) is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Guanmaitong granule (GMTG) is a TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) prescribed to treat AS. However, its mechanism remains unclear.
Methods: We obtained reliable ingredients and targets of GMTG using the HERB database. AS-related targets were obtained from HERB and GeneCards databases. The target database was constructed by intersecting the ingredients of GMTG with the AS-related targets. STRING and Cytoscape were used to create protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and screen core targets. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway analyses were performed using R. Finally, the ApoE^−/− mice AS model was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) for in vivo validation of core pathways and targets.
Results: A total of 124 ingredients and 418 potential targets of GMTG for treating AS were obtained. Numerous ingredients and targets were related to Panax notoginseng, Salvia miltiorrhiza , and Astragalus . Most core targets and pathways were involved in the inflammatory immune response. GMTG could decrease serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein level and increase the serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level. Furthermore, GMTG reduced the plaque burden and promoted plaque remodeling by reducing plaque area, lipid deposition, foam cell content, and collagen fiber content in the plaque in the aortic root of ApoE^−/− mice. GMTG inhibited systemic and plaque inflammatory immune response and increased plaque stability by inhibiting the excessive release of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway-induced inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1 beta.
Conclusion: Radix notoginseng, Radix salviae liguliobae , and Radix astragali are the main ingredients of GMTG for treating AS. Further, GMTG could regulate the level of serum lipids and inhibit inflammatory immune response, which resulted in anti-AS effects such as plaque stabilization, reduction of plaque burden, and plaque remodeling. GMTG is a promising multi-target treatment for AS.
Keywords: Guanmaitong granule, atherosclerosis, inflammatory immune response, plaque burden, plaque remodeling