Objective: To observe the effects of red yeast rice(RYR) on blood lipid levels, aortic atherosclerosis(AS), and plaque stability in apolipoprotein E gene knockout(Apo E-/-) mice. Methods: Twentyfour Apo E-/-mice were fed with a high-fat diet starting from 6 weeks of age. Mice were randomized into three groups(n = 8 in each group): model group(Apo E-/-group), RYR group(Apo E-/-+ RYR group), and simvastatin group(Apo E-/-+ simvastatin group). Eight 6-week-old C57BL/6 mice were assigned as the control group and fed with a basic diet. After 36 weeks, plasma lipids and inflammatory factors were measured. Aortic atherosclerotic lesions by microscope, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope were observed. Plasma levels of interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) were measured with enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. The level of high sensitivity C-reaction protein(Hs-CRP) was detected by the scattering immunoturbidimetric assay. Protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) and nuclear factor κB(NF-κB) in aorta were tested by immunohistochemistry. Results: Compared with the model group, treatment with RYR significantly decreased the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), and apolipoprotein B100 in Apo E-/-mice(P<0.01). Compared with the model group, treatment with RYR decreased the levels of Hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α(P<0.01). RYR also reduced the protein levels of NF-κB and MMP-9 of the aorta. Conclusions: RYR has the anti-atherosclerotic and stabilizing unstable plaque effects. The mechanism might be related to the inflammatory signaling pathways.
Objective:To study the efficacy of Chinese medicine(CM) on isolated systolic hypertension.Methods:Seven electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials(RCTs) published until August 2015.Subgroup analyses and meta-analysis were performed to assess the efficacy and safety of the included studies.Results:A total of 24 studies,including 2,096 patients(1,058 patients in the intervention group and 1,038 in the control group),were evaluated in the final analysis.Compared with a conventional therapy used alone,CM as additional intervention was more effective on systolic blood pressure[mean difference(MD)=-0.66,95%confidence interval(CI)=(-0.97,-0.36),P<0.00001]and significantly diminished the pulse pressure[MD=-7.49,Cl=(-12.69,-2.29),P<0.00001].However it showed no additional benefit on diastolic blood pressure[MD=1.16,CI=(0.02,2.29),P=0.87].Adverse events were not explicitly reported in most RCTs.Conclusions:CM might be a promising approach for the elderly with isolated systolic hypertension,while the evidence for CM employed alone was insufficient.Considering the inherent limitations of the included studies,larger high-quality RCTs with extensive follow-up should be performed to validate our findings in the future.
