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. 2022 Sep 15;11(18):2861. doi: 10.3390/foods11182861

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Mechanism of action of hawthorn in the protection against cardiovascular disease. (1). Alcoholic extract of Crataegus oxyacantha (AEC) pretreatment maintained mitochondrial antioxidant status and prevented mitochondrial lipid per-oxidative damage and decrease in Krebs cycle enzymes induced by isoproterenol in rat heart.; AEC can act on myocardial tissue to reduce iNOS expression and downregulate COX-2 to exert anti-inflammatory effects. (2). Hawthorn extract WS1442 increases contractility and increases positive muscle strength by inhibiting the Na+/K+-ATPase pump; WS1442 acts at the serine 1177 site to phosphorylate eNOS and increase NO-mediated vasodilatation; WS1442 effectively protects the vascular endothelium by inhibiting the Ca/PKC/Rho A pathway and activating the cAMP/Epaci/Rap1 pathway. (3). Hawthorn flavonoids exert hypolipidemic effects by acting on the PPARγ pathway to increase LDL expression in blood vessels. (4). High doses of hawthorn ginsenoside can cause significant reductions in heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP), and induce sinus node.