Effects Of Herbal Cake-separated Moxibustion On VCAM-1 Expression And Macrophage Content In Rabbits With AS Vulnerable Plaques Based On RhoA/ROCK Signaling Pathwa

Objective:Observing the effects of cake-separated moxibustion on Rho A/ROCK signaling pathway,vascular cell adhesion factor(VCAM-1)expression and macrophage content in the abdominal aorta of atherosclerotic rabbits in order to explore the feasibility and mechanism of cake-separated moxibustion in stabilizing vulnerable atherosclerosis plaque.Methods: Seventy common-grade male New Zealand rabbits(2000±200g)were randomly divided into 10 blank groups and 60 model groups after being treated with common feed for one week.On the basis of high-fat feeding,the modeling group used abdominal aortic balloon injury,gene transfection and drug-triggered plaque rupture to create a vulnerable atherosclerosis plaque rabbit model.The surviving rabbits after balloon injury were divided into model group(11rats),cake-separated moxibustion(11rats),direct moxibustion group(11rats),atorvastatin group(11rats),and Rho kinase inhibitor group(11rats)by random number table method.The rabbits in the blank group and the model group were bundled for the same time without intervention.The rabbits in the direct moxibustion group were bundled and then received direct moxibustion intervention.The rabbits in the cake-separated moxibustion group were bundled and then received cake-separated moxibustion intervention.In the atorvastatin group,atorvastatin calcium tablets(1.96mg/kg)were ground into powder and mixed into the high-fat feed of the rabbits every day.They were bundled for the same time every day without moxibustion.The Rho kinase inhibitor group was injected with Rho kinase inhibitor(10mg/kg)through the ear vein of rabbits,bundled at the same time every day,without moxibustion,and all interventions were performed once a day for a total of 8 weeks.Using ELASA to detect rabbit serum total cholesterol(TC),triacylglycerol(TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),apolipoprotein A(APO-A)and apolipoprotein B(APO-B)content;Using HE staining to observe the pathological morphological changes of the rabbit abdominal aorta;Using immunohistochemistry to detect the Rabbit abdominal aorta Ras homolog genome member A/Rho kinase(Rho A/ROCK)and vascular cell adhesion factor(VCAM-1)antigenic activity and the content of macrophages.Result:1.Six items of blood lipids: Compared with the blank group,the serum TC,TG,LDL and APO-B contents of the model group rabbits were significantly increased,and the HDL,APO-A contents were significantly decreased(P<0.01);Compared with the model groups,the serum TC,TG,LDL and APO-B contents of treatment group rabbits significantly decreased,while the contents of HDL and APO-A significantly increased(P<0.01,P<0.05);compared with the direct moxibustion group,the serum APO-B content of the cake-separated moxibustion group rabbits significantly decreased(P<0.01);compared with the cake-separated moxibustion group,the serum APO-B content of the atorvastatin group rabbits increased(P<0.05);It shows that the treatment group has a significant effect in regulating blood lipids.In the regulation of APO-B,cake-separated moxibustion had the best effect,which was better than direct moxibustion and atorvastatin.The cake-separated moxibustion can improve blood lipids and achieve the effect of anti-atherosclerosis and stabilizing plaques.2.HE staining: Compared with the blank group,the intima of the abdominal aorta in the model group showed the accumulation and thickening of foam cells,plaques formed and protruded into the lumen,and multiple bleeding points and thrombosis in the lumen were seen in plaque rupture.Median elastic fibers are disordered,and smooth muscle cells are reduced.Compared with the model group,the direct moxibustion group and the cake-separated moxibustion group had thesame degree of abdominal aortic intima injury,the lipid pool was smaller,and there was no plaque rupture hemorrhage and thrombosis.In the atorvastatin group,the abdominal aorta intimal hyperplasia was small,no plate hemorrhage and thrombosis were found,the medial intima was less damaged,the elastic fiber structure was stable,and the smooth muscle cells were arranged neatly.This indicates that cake-separated moxibustion can inhibit vascular intimal hyperplasia,reduce lipid accumulation,maintain vascular endothelial structure and function,and achieve the effect of anti-atherosclerosis and stable plaque.3.Rho A,ROCK,and VCAM-1 expression levels: Compared with the blank group,the Rho A,ROCK and VCAM-1 antigenic activities of the model group rabbit cells were significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with the model group,the intervention groups(direct moxibustion group,cake-separated moxibustion group,atorvastatin group,Rho kinase inhibitor group)rabbit cells Rho A,ROCK,VCAM-1antigen activity significantly decreased(P<0.01).There was no significant difference among the intervention groups(P>0.05).It shows that the three interventions of cake-separated moxibustion,direct moxibustion and atorvastatin have similar effects as Rho kinase inhibitors,and both can significantly inhibit Rho A and ROCK signal paths and reduce VCAM-1 expression.4.The content of macrophages: Compared with the blank group,the MOMA-2 antigenic activities of the model group rabbit cells were significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with the model group,the intervention groups rabbit cells MOMA-2 antigen activity significantly decreased(P<0.01);there was no significant difference among the intervention groups(P>0.05).The results showed that cake-separated moxibustion,direct moxibustion and atorvastatin could significantly reduce the content of macrophages,and the three groups had similar curative effects.Conclusion:1.The cake-separated moxibustion can improve the content of blood lipid and apolipoprotein in atherosclerosis rabbits.2.The cake-separated moxibustion can inhibit the intimal hyperplasia of the abdominal aorta in atherosclerosis rabbits,maintain the shape and function of the vascular endothelium,and stabilize the vulnerable plaque.3.The cake-separated moxibustion can reduce the expression of VCAM-1 by regulating the Rho A/ROCK signaling pathway,reduce the content of macrophages,stabilize vulnerable plaques,and exert anti-atherosclerosis effect.