Medicinal plants and atherosclerosis: A review on molecular aspects.

Medicinal plants and atherosclerosis: A review on molecular aspects. Curr Pharm Des. 2018 Sep 11;: Authors: Gholipour S, Sewell RDE, Lorigooini Z, Rafieian-Kopaei M Abstract Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory vascular disease that is characterized by progressive accumulation of cholesterol in the arterial walls and it is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Issues related to the side effects of synthetic drugs have in recent times, led to the misuse of drugs, a lack of patient consultations, and consequently, a disruption in meticulous disease control. Therefore, a new insight into medicinal plants has recently emerged and much research has been conducted on these herbs in an attempt to prepare novel naturally based drugs. The aim of this review article was to scrutinize the molecular mechanisms of medicinal plants possessing effectiveness against atherosclerosis. To conduct the review, electronic searches were performed to retrieve potentially relevant publications, indexed within internet databases and reference textbooks concerning the effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of plants or their constituents used to treat atherosclerosis. Overall, medicinal plants facilitate atherosclerosis treatment through a variety of mechanisms which include the regulation of expression of inflammatory factors, stimulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reducta...
Source: Current Pharmaceutical Design - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Curr Pharm Des Source Type: research