Ruanmailing Oral Liquid Inhibit Atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- Mice by Regulation of TGF-β1/SMAD4 Signaling Pathway

Abstract BackgroundTo investigate the effect of Ruanmailing oral liquid on atherosclerosis and TGF-β1/SMAD4 signaling pathway in ApoE knockout mice induced by high-fat diet. MethodsForty ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into 5 groups, and mice fed with standard diets were the control group. ApoE-/- mice high-fat diet induced atherosclerotic phenotype. After grouping and treatment, they were divided into high-fat feeding model group, low-dose and high-dose of Ruanmailing groups (1.75, 4.55 ml/kg/d), Lipitor Group (3.0 mg/kg/d). After 12 weeks of administration, blood was collected from the mice orbit to determine the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C, and the pathological changes of thoracic aorta atherosclerosis were observed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the concentration of serum TGF-β1, and RT-PCR and Western Blot were used to detect the expression of SMAD4 and GATA2 in the thoracic aorta of ApoE-/- mice in each group. ResultsCompared with the high-fat model group, the serum lipids level of each administration group were reduced (P<0.01 or P<0.05), and the ratio of plaque area to luminal area (W/L) was significantly reduced (P<0.05), and pathological examination indicated atherosclerotic lesions in thoracic aorta of ApoE-/- mice were alleviated, and the high-dose Ruanmailing group had the most significant anti-atherosclerotic effect. ConclusionsRuanmailing oral liquid has an anti-atherosclerotic effect, and its mechanism may be related to the intervention of GATA2 in the TGF-β1/SMAD4 signaling pathway to reduce the differentiation and proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells.