The mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine underlying the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. The incidence of AS is increasing in the last decades. So development of safe and effective therapeutics for treating AS has become prominently important. Although there are numerous chemical drugs available for treating AS, some drugs are not effective and some have serious side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history for the prevention and treatment of AS due to its less side effects and superior efficacy. This paper describes the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms for prevention and treatment of AS by TCM or its active components. Some TCM, e.g. XuemaiNing, Tongxinluo and Salvia miltiorrhiza have been reported to have car-dio-protective effect. Some active components of TCM, e.g. saikosaponin-A, kuwanon G, luteolin and β-elemene have been isolated from various TCM and demonstrated to have beneficial effects on prevention and treatment of AS.