Aqueous Extract of Fructus Choerospondiatis Peel Suppresses Vascular Inflammation and Alleviates Atherosclerosis via AKT/c-FOS/IL-6 Axis

Sep 30, 2026

Atherosclerosis underpins lethal cardio-cerebral vascular diseases including coronary artery disease and stroke, and inflammation drives its progression. Fructus Choerospondiatis (FC) has shown cardioprotective effects in ethnomedicine, but whether its protection derives from vascular atherosclerosis prevention is unclear. This study evaluates the anti-atherosclerotic activity of FC aqueous extract and clarifies mechanisms using ApoE−/− mice, inflammatory models, histology, LC-MS, network pharmacology, and multiple molecular assays. FC peel extract lowers IL-6, plaque area, and macrophage content, identifies ellagic acid and AKT, inhibits AKT phosphorylation, suppresses c-FOS and IL-6 transcription, and alleviates atherosclerosis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

1. Introduction

Inflammation in atherosclerosis

Fructus Choerospondiatis in ethnomedicine

Article Aqueous Extract of Fructus Choerospondiatis Peel Suppresses Vascular Inflammation and Alleviates Atherosclerosis via AKT/c-FOS/IL-6 Axis Andong Wu 1,2, Jiayi Dong 1,2, Jiankun Liu 1,2, Xueting Gong 1,2, Xueer Li 1,2, Bingbing Zhou 1,2, Ming Wan 1,2, Weixin Lv 1,2, Jiayu Qiu 1,2, Ya Zhao 1,2, Yu Fang 1,2, Jie Huang 3 and Xiao-Li Tian 1,2, * Academic Editor: Egeria Scoditti Received: 10 November 2025 Revised: 12 December 2025 Accepted: 16 December 2025 Published: 19 December 2025 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Aging and Vascular Diseases, Human Aging Research Institute (HARI) and School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China; [andongwu@ncu.edu.cn](andongwu@ncu.edu.cn) (A.W.); [jiayidong@email.ncu.edu.cn](jiayidong@email.ncu.edu.cn) (J.D.); [liujiankun0625@email.ncu.edu.cn](liujiankun0625@email.ncu.edu.cn) (J.L.); [gongxueting@email.ncu.edu.cn](gongxueting@email.ncu.edu.cn) (X.G.); [lixueer@email.ncu.edu.cn](lixueer@email.ncu.edu.cn) (X.L.); [367900220011@email.ncu.edu.cn](367900220011@email.ncu.edu.cn) (B.Z.); [mingwan@email.ncu.edu.cn](mingwan@email.ncu.edu.cn) (M.W.); [weixinlv@email.ncu.edu.cn](weixinlv@email.ncu.edu.cn) (W.L.); [qiujiayu@email.ncu.edu.cn](qiujiayu@email.ncu.edu.cn) (J.Q.); [yazhao@email.ncu.edu.cn](yazhao@email.ncu.edu.cn) (Y.Z.); [405600230076@email.ncu.edu.cn](405600230076@email.ncu.edu.cn) (Y.F.) 2 Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Human Aging, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China 3 School of Public Health and Emergency Management, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; [huangj@sustech.edu.cn](huangj@sustech.edu.cn) * Correspondence: [tianxiaoli@ncu.edu.cn](tianxiaoli@ncu.edu.cn) Abstract Background: Atherosclerosis is the pathological basis for lethal cardio-cerebral vascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease and stroke. Fructus Choerospondiatis (FC) has demonstrated cardiac protective effects in multiple ethnomedicine. Whether these protective effects are attributed to the prevention of vascular atherosclerosis, however, remains unknown. We aim to examine the anti-atherosclerotic effect of FC aqueous extract and elucidate the underlying mechanism. Methods: FC was separated into peel and pulp, and the aqueous extract was obtained separately by boiling in water to mimic decocting. Atherosclerosis model was established in ApoE −/ − mice fed with a high-fat diet, and histological analysis were utilized to evaluate the development of atherosclerosis. Various inflammatory models were constructed in mice to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of FC extract systemically, including acute local inflammation induced by traumatic injury (ear/foot swelling), acute systemic inflammation triggered by pathogenic infection (LPS-and POLY (I:C)-induced), as well as chronic inflammatory conditions associated with oxidative stress (D-galactose-induced), metabolic disorder (db/db mice), and aging. LC-MS and network pharmacology identified bioactive components and targets. Western blotting, ELISA, qPCR, and immunofluorescence were utilized to analyze the key genes involved in the mechanisms. Results: FC peel extract reduced serum IL-6 level, atherosclerotic plaque area, and macrophage content in the plaque, while pulp extract showed no protective effects. Peel extract exhibits anti-inflammatory effects in all models. The integrative application of LC-MS and network pharmacology identified ellagic acid as the major bioactive component and AKT as its target protein. Mechanistically, FC peel extract inhibits AKT phosphorylation, suppresses c-FOS expression and nuclear translocation, reduces IL-6 transcription and inflammation, and thus alleviates atherosclerosis. Conclusions: FC peel aqueous extract exerts anti-atherosclerotic effect by inhibiting inflammatio

FAQs

What is the main goal of this study on Fructus Choerospondiatis (FC)?

To examine the anti-atherosclerotic effect of FC aqueous extract and elucidate the underlying mechanism, focusing on the vascular inflammation process.

How was the anti-atherosclerotic effect evaluated?

Atherosclerosis was modeled in ApoE−/− mice fed a high-fat diet, with histological analysis to assess plaque development and inflammatory outcomes across multiple inflammatory settings.

Which compound and pathway are identified as key drivers?

Ellagic acid is identified as the major bioactive component, with AKT as the target protein; FC peel extract alleviates disease by inhibiting the AKT/c-FOS/IL-6 axis to reduce IL-6-mediated inflammation.

Sep 30, 2026

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