Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Aug;5(8):927-46.

Atherosclerosis: process, indicators, risk factors and new hopes

Mahmoud Rafieian-Kopaei  1 , Mahbubeh Setorki  2 , Monir Doudi  3 , Azar Baradaran  4 , Hamid Nasri  5
Affiliations
Review

Atherosclerosis: process, indicators, risk factors and new hopes

Mahmoud Rafieian-Kopaei et al. Int J Prev Med. 2014 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Atherosclerosis is the major cause of morbidities and mortalities worldwide. In this study we aimed to review the mechanism of atherosclerosis and its risk factors, focusing on new findings in atherosclerosis markers and its risk factors. Furthermore, the role of antioxidants and medicinal herbs in atherosclerosis and endothelial damage has been discussed and a list of important medicinal plants effective in the treatment and prevention of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis is presented.

Methods: The recently published papers about atherosclerosis pathogenesis and herbal medicines effective in the treatment and prevention of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis were searched.

Results: Inflammation has a crucial role in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The disease is accompanied by excessive fibrosis of the intima, fatty plaques formation, proliferation of smooth muscle cells, and migration of a group of cells such as monocytes, T cells, and platelets which are formed in response to inflammation. The oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) to Ox-LDL indicates the first step of atherosclerosis in cardiovascular diseases. Malondialdehyde factor shows the level of lipoperoxidation and is a sign of increased oxidative pressure and cardiovascular diseases. In special pathological conditions such as severe hypercholesterolemia, peroxynitrite concentration increases and atherosclerosis and vascular damage are intensified. Medicinal plants have shown to be capable of interacting these or other pathogenesis factors to prevent atherosclerosis.

Conclusions: The pathogenesis factors involved in atherosclerosis have recently been cleared and the discovery of these factors has brought about new hopes for better prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; inflammation; lipids.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sages of fatty streaks formation
Figure 2
Figure 2
Atheroma formation
Figure 3
Figure 3
Atherosclerotic plaque formation
Figure 4
Figure 4
Roles of nitric oxide endothelial synthase in atherosclerosis
Figure 5
Figure 5
Stages of fibrinolyse, anticoagulation, and platelet inhibition
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hennekens CH, Gaziano JM. Antioxidants and heart disease: Epidemiology and clinical evidence. Clin Cardiol. 1993;16(4 Suppl 1):I10–3. - PubMed
    1. Baradaran A. Lipoprotein(a), type 2 diabetes and nephropathy; the mystery continues. J Nephropathol. 2012;1:126–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ross R. Atherosclerosis — An Inflammatory Disease”. New England Journal of Medicine. 1999;340:115–26. - PubMed
    1. Rahimi Z. ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy. J Nephropathol. 2012;1:143–51. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tavafi M. Complexity of diabetic nephropathy pathogenesis and design of investigations. J Renal Inj Prev. 2013;2:61–5. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources