Figure 1.

Anti-atherosclerotic effects of sinomenine. Sinomenine could suppress the progression of atherosclerosis by affecting the activities of multiple cells including VECs, monocytes, granulocytes, lymphocytes, macrophages, and VSMCs. Sinomenine attenuates the endothelial inflammation through decreasing pro-inflammatory factors VCAM-1, IL-1α, and ET-1. Sinomenine represses the proliferation, migration, and invasion of monocytes with downregulating CD147 and MMP-2/9. Sinomenine also inhibits the migration of granulocytes, as well as the proliferation and antibody production of lymphocytes. In addition, sinomenine promotes cell apoptosis and decreases the inflammatory response of macrophages through regulating ERK and NF-κB signal pathways respectively, resulting in upregulation of p27 and Bax, and downregulation of TNF-1α and IL-1β. Furthermore, Sinomenine restrains the dedifferentiation, proliferation, and migration of VSMCs depending on inhibition of several signal pathways including MAPK, Akt/GSK3β, STAT3, and PDGFR-β, leading to the increased expression of SMA, Smoothelin, and SM22a.