AUTHOR=Tang Le , Kuang Cuifang , Shan Dan , Shi Min , Li Jiangsheng , Qiu Liang , Yu Jun 

TITLE=The ethanol extract of Edgeworthia gardneri (Wall.) Meisn attenuates macrophage foam cell formation and atherogenesis in ApoE−/− mice

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.1023438

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2022.1023438

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. The Edgeworthia gardneri (Wall.) Meisn is a Tibetan medicine commonly used to prepare herbal tea to alleviate the local people's metabolic diseases. However, the anti-atherosclerotic effect of ethanol extract of the flower of E. gardneri (Wall.) Meisn (EEEG) and its underlying mechanism remain unknown. Here, we demonstrated that EEEG inhibited macrophage-derived foam cell formation induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) by reducing CD36-mediated lipoprotein uptake. Furthermore, EEEG significantly alleviated atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks. EEEG treatment significantly decreased atherosclerotic plaque area, macrophage infiltration, and increased collagen content. Moreover, EEEG treatment significantly downregulated mRNA expression of hepatic Srb1 and intestinal Npc1l1 and increased hepatic Cyp7a1. In conclusion, our study highlights that EEEG plays a role in attenuating atherosclerotic plaque formation by reducing macrophage infiltration into the aortic sinus and foam cell formation, promoting cholesterol transport and metabolism.