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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1483518
This article is part of the Research Topic Natural Products and Immune Inflammation: Mechanistic Understanding Based on Systems Biology View all 15 articles

Mechanism of Valeriana officinalis subsp. officinalis Extract Improving Atherosclerosis by Regulating PGC-1α/Sirt3/Epac1 Pathway

Provisionally accepted
Bo Yao Bo Yao Jingzhuo Ma Jingzhuo Ma Qingzhi Ran Qingzhi Ran Hengwen Chen Hengwen Chen *Xuanhui He Xuanhui He
  • Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: To investigate the protective effect of the of Valeriana officinalis subsp. officinalis. extract on mitochondrial injury in AS mice and the underlying mechanism.: Firstly, Ultra-High performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-offlight mass spectrometer (UPLC / Q-TOF-MS) was proposed to explore the chemical composition of Valeriana officinalis subsp. officinalis extract. ApoE -/-mice were employed for in vivo experiments. The efficacy of Valeriana officinalis subsp. officinalis extract was detected by B-ultrasound, Biochemical, Oil Red O staining, HE staining and Masson staining analysis. The molecular mechanism of Valeriana officinalis subsp. officinalis. extract in regulating mitochondrial energy metabolism for the treatment of atherosclerosis was elucidated after Monitoring System of Vascular Microcirculation in Vivo and transmission electron microscopy. Use the corresponding reagent kit to detect ACTH level, CHRNα1 level and ATP level, and measure the expression levels of PGC-1α, Sirt3, Epac1, Caspase-3, and Caspase-9 through real-time qPCR, and Western blot. Results: A total of 30 metabolites were newly discovered from 2 KYXC using UPLC-MS. The drug had a significant positive effect on the growth of atherosclerotic plaque in mice. It also improved the microcirculation of the heart and mesentery, reduced the levels of CHOL, TG, and VLDL in the serum, and increased the levels of HDL-C to maintain normal lipid metabolism in the body. Additionally, it increased the levels of ATP, improved the ultrastructure of mitochondria to maintain mitochondrial energy metabolism, and increased the levels of T-SOD to combat oxidative stress of the organism. Furthermore, the drug significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression of PGC-1α and Sirt3 in aortic tissue, while decreasing the mRNA and protein expression of Epac1, Caspase-3, and Caspase-9. Conclusion: This study has verified that the extract of Valeriana officinalis subsp. officinalis is highly effective in enhancing atherosclerosis disease. The mechanism is suggested through the PGC-1α/Sirt3/Epac1 signaling pathway, which improves mitochondrial energy metabolism.

    Keywords: ：Valeriana officinalis subsp. officinalis extract, Atherosclerosis, PGC-1α/Sirt3/Epac1 Pathway, Mitochondrial damage, Traditional Chinese Medicine

    Received: 20 Aug 2024; Accepted: 07 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yao, Ma, Ran, Chen and He. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hengwen Chen, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.