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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Cardiovascular and Smooth Muscle Pharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1499786
This article is part of the Research Topic Innovative Approaches and Molecular Mechanisms in Cardiovascular Pharmacology View all 5 articles

Effects of Chinese Medicine on Modulating Interleukin-17regulated Macrophages in Coronary Heart Disease

Provisionally accepted
Qing Liu Qing Liu 1,2,3*Peizhong Liu Peizhong Liu 1Qingqing Liu Qingqing Liu 2Chuangpeng Li Chuangpeng Li 1Zhen Zhao Zhen Zhao 1Dawei Wang Dawei Wang 3,4
  • 1 Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
  • 3 State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
  • 4 The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

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

    Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD) is one of the leading causes of death from cardiovascular disease worldwide and has significant inflammatory features.Macrophages play an important role in atherosclerotic plaque formation and inflammation. IL-17, as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, further exacerbates the development of CHD by interacting with macrophages. In recent years, there has been increasing evidence that traditional Chinese medicine (CM) has a wide range of applications in regulating the immune system and treating CHD. This article reviewed the role of CM in the regulation of IL-17-regulated macrophages, discussed the core components and targets of CM in the treatment of CHD, and laid a theoretical foundation for its clinical application. The results show that CM can effectively inhibit the formation of foam cells, stabilize vulnerable plaque and delay the progression of atherosclerosis by inhibiting inflammation, regulating the polarization of macrophages and promoting cholesterol outflow. In addition, CM can also regulate the expression and signaling pathway of IL-17, further inhibit inflammatory response and improve the symptoms of CHD, providing a new idea and method for the prevention and treatment of CHD.

    Keywords: Chinese medicine (CM), Interleukin-17 (IL-17), Macrophages, Coronary heart disease (CHD), Th17 cell

    Received: 21 Sep 2024; Accepted: 10 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Liu, Liu, Li, Zhao and Wang. 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: Qing Liu, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 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.