Atherosclerosis (AS) is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Geniposide (GP) has lipolytic and anti-inflammatory effects and is widely administered for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. There is considerable evidence for the importance of autophagy in the cardiovascular system, and GP can promote autophagy and improve AS. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear; network pharmacology and molecular docking suggest that GP may play anti-atherosclerotic roles by regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which is a typical autophagy signal transduction approach. We further hypothesized that GP ameliorates AS by regulating autophagy through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Oil Red O, Sirius Red, and Masson’s trichrome staining revealed that GP can inhibit atherosclerotic lipid accumulation and stabilize plaques. Macrophages absorb lipids, form foam cells, and destabilize plaques. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that GP reduces the expression of F4/80, a major macrophage marker. We used western blotting (WB) and immunofluorescence (IF) to measure the protein levels of PI3K/Akt/mTOR, sequestosome-1, Beclin1, and long-chain base 3 (LC3). The experimental results revealed that GP can increase the expression of LC3, increase the expression of Beclin1, and decrease P62. Additionally, it inhibits the phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR. In conclusion, GP can effectively treat AS by enhancing autophagy through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Xiaodan Yang

Jiaxi Shi

Weifeng He

Junlong Li

Rui Li

Jianbin Pi

Yuan Luo

Mingyang Gu

Xiaolong Wang

Wei Wu

Lijin Qing

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine

《美国中医杂志》的定义尽可能广泛，发表与所有文化的传统或民族医学有关的原创文章和论文。特别感兴趣的领域包括：本土医疗技术、治疗程序、药用植物以及传统医学理论和概念的基础科学和临床研究；医疗实践和医疗保健的多学科研究，特别是从历史、文化、公共卫生和社会经济的角度;所有文化中医学比较研究的国际政策影响，包括发展中国家的健康、保健技术和概念的可负担性和可转移性等问题;翻译关于民族医学的古代学术文献或现代出版物。《美国中医杂志》将考虑发表广泛的学术贡献，包括原创科学研究论文、评论文章、社论评论、社会政策声明、简短新闻项目、参考书目、研究指南、致编辑的信、书评和选定的再版。

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine is dedicated to publishing original research articles related to traditional or ethnic medicine across various cultures. We are particularly interested in the following areas: indigenous healing practices, therapeutic procedures, medicinal plants, and the basic science and clinical research underlying traditional medical theories and concepts; multidisciplinary studies of medical practice and healthcare, especially from historical, cultural, public health, and socioeconomic perspectives; the international policy implications of comparative studies of medicine across cultures, including issues of affordability and transferability of health and healthcare technologies and concepts in developing countries; and translations of ancient scholarly texts or modern publications related to ethnic medicine. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine welcomes a wide range of scholarly contributions, including original scientific research papers, review articles, editorials, social policy statements, brief news items, bibliographies, research guidelines, letters to the editor, book reviews, and selected reprints.

《美国中医杂志》致力于发表与各文化传统或民族医学相关的原创研究文章。我们特别关注以下领域：本土医疗技术、治疗程序、药用植物，以及传统医学理论和概念的基础科学与临床研究；医疗实践和医疗保健的多学科研究，尤其是从历史、文化、公共卫生和社会经济的视角出发；各文化中医学比较研究的国际政策影响，包括发展中国家的健康、保健技术和概念的可负担性与可转移性等问题；翻译关于民族医学的古代学术文献或现代出版物。《美国中医杂志》欢迎广泛的学术贡献，包括原创科学研究论文、评论文章、社论、社会政策声明、简短新闻项目、参考书目、研究指南、致编辑的信件、书评及精选再版。

Category	Quartile
医学	2
医学, 全科医学与补充医学	2
医学, 医学内科	2

Targeting Autophagy with Geniposide Ameliorates Atherosclerosis in ApoE−∕− Mice

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Category	Quartile
MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL	1