Tongxinluo inhibits vascular inflammation and neointimal hyperplasia through blockade of the positive feedback loop between miR-155 and TNF-α.

Tongxinluo (TXL), a traditional Chinese medicine, has multiple vasoprotective effects, including anti-inflammation. MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) is involved in vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis. However, a direct relationship between TXL and miR-155 in the development of vascular inflammation and remodeling had not yet been shown. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether TXL exerts an inhibitory effect on the vascular inflammatory response and neointimal hyperplasia by regulating miR-155 expression. Using the carotid artery ligation model in mice, we have shown that TXL dose dependently inhibited neointimal formation and reduced the vascular inflammatory response by inhibiting inflammatory cytokine production and macrophage infiltration. miR-155 was induced by carotid artery ligation, and neointimal hyperplasia was strongly reduced in miR-155(−/−) mice. In contrast, miR-155 overexpression partly reversed the inhibitory effect of TXL on neointimal hyperplasia. In bone marrow-derived macrophages, miR-155 and TNF-α formed a positive feedback loop to promote the inflammatory response, which could be blocked by TXL. Furthermore, TXL increased Akt1 protein expression and phosphorylation in TNF-α-stimulated marrow-derived macrophages, and knockdown of Akt1 abrogated the TXL-induced suppression of miR-155. In conclusion, TXL inhibits the vascular inflammatory response and neointimal hyperplasia induced by carotid artery ligation in mice. Suppression of miR-155 expression mediated by Akt1 and blockade of the feedback loop between miR-155 and TNF-α are important pathways whereby TXL exerts its vasoprotective effects.