Abstract
In the present study we examined the anti-atherosclerotic effect of Saikokaryukotsuboreito (SRB), one of the traditional Chinese herbal medicines, which is used for the treatment of atherosclerosis, and hypertension in addition to various neurological disorders. SRB, which was dissolved in the daily intake of drinking water at a concentration of 10 times the daily human dose (1.01 g/kg/d), was given to apoE-deficient mice from the day on the atherogenic diet for 13 weeks. Feeding them a cholesterol-enriched diet for 13 weeks induced a striking hypercholesterolemia, and atherosclerosis in control apoE-deficient mice. On the other hand, treatment with SRB exhibited no effect on body weight, serum total cholesterol, and lipoprotein profile, whereas the atherosclerotic lesions were significantly reduced throughout the aorta, especially in the sinus and aortic arch compared with control mice. These results may reveal that SRB is able to suppress the development of atherosclerosis without anti-hypercholesterolemic effect and further is a potential therapeutic agent to treat or prevent atherosclerosis.
