title: Suxiaojiuxin pill enhances atherosclerotic plaque stability by modulating the MMPs/TIMPs balance in ApoE-deficient mice.
abstract: : Suxiaojiuxin pill (SX) is a famous Chinese formulated product, which has been used to treat coronary heart disease and angina pectoris in China. This study was carried out to investigate the effect and possible mechanism of SX on the stability of atherosclerotic plaque in ApoE-deficient mice. ApoE-/- mice of 6-8 weeks old were fed with high-fat diet for developing artherosclerosis. After oral administration of SX for 8 weeks, histopathology of aortic plaque was performed by Sudan III and hematoxylin-eosin staining, and muscle protein was detected by Western blotting (WB). The mRNA and proteins associated with aortic plaque stability were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and WB, respectively. SX treatment could not only reduce serum triglyceride level and plaque area but also increase fibrous cap thickness and collagen content compared with the model group. WB results showed that SX could increase α-smooth muscle actin, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1), and TIMP-2 protein expression, whereas decrease matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 protein expression. Moreover, SX could upregulate the expression of α-smooth muscle actin mRNA and downregulate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA. These results showed that SX could enhance atherosclerotic plaque stability in ApoE-deficient mice. The mechanism may be associated with modulating the MMPs/TIMPs balance.
authors.affiliation: *Chinese Materia Medica College, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; †Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; and ‡The Sixth Chinese Drugs Factory of Tianjin Zhongxin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Jinbao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Pengwei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Mixia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Teng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jinlei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yongling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D008055:Lipids; D009124:Muscle Proteins; C543119:suxiao jiuxinwan