title: Anti-atherosclerotic therapy based on botanicals.
abstract: Natural products including botanicals for both therapy of clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis and reduction of atherosclerosis risk factors are topics of recent patents. Only a few recent patents are relevant to the direct antiatherosclerotic therapy leading to regression of atherosclerotic lesions. Earlier, using a cellular model we have developed and patented several anti-atherosclerotic drugs. The AMAR (Atherosclerosis Monitoring and Atherogenicity Reduction) study was designed to estimate the effect of two-year treatment with time-released garlic-based drug Allicor on the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in 196 asymptomatic men aged 40-74 in double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized clinical study. The primary outcome was the rate of atherosclerosis progression, measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography as the increase in carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) of the far wall of common carotid arteries. The mean rate of IMT changes in Allicor-treated group (-0.022±0.007 mm per year) was significantly different (P = 0.002) from the placebo group in which there was a moderate progression of 0.015±0.008 mm at the overall mean baseline IMT of 0.931±0.009 mm. A significant correlation was found between the changes in blood serum atherogenicity (the ability of serum to induce cholesterol accumulation in cultured cells) during the study and the changes in intima-media thickness of common carotid arteries (r = 0.144, P = 0.045). Thus, the results of AMAR study demonstrate that long-term treatment with Allicor has a direct anti-atherosclerotic effect on carotid atherosclerosis and this effect is likely to be due to serum atherogenicity inhibition. The beneficial effects of other botanicals including Inflaminat (calendula, elder and violet), phytoestrogen- rich Karinat (garlic powder, extract of grape seeds, green tea leafs, hop cones, β-carotene, α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid) on atherosclerosis have also been revealed in clinical studies which enforces a view that botanicals might represent promising drugs for anti-atherosclerotic therapy.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Atherosclerosis Research of Skolkovo Innovative Center, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Orekhov
authors.forename: Igor A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Sobenin
authors.forename: Nikolay V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Korneev
authors.forename: Tatyana V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Kirichenko
authors.forename: Veronika A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Myasoedova
authors.forename: Alexandra A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Melnichenko
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balcells
authors.forename: Elazer R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Edelman
authors.forename: Yuri V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Bobryshev
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005737:Garlic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D028321:Plant Preparations; C484361:karinat; D019207:beta Carotene; D002784:Cholesterol; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol; D001205:Ascorbic Acid