Resveratrol inhibiting TGF/ERK signaling pathway can improve atherosclerosis: backgrounds, mechanisms and effects

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a pathological basis of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. A severe global public health problem contributes to the growing burden of cardiovascular disease due to its high risk and limited therapeutic measures. AS treatment is challenging, and requires the doctors to integrate clinical manifestations such as the multiplicity of risk factors, the complexity of lesions, and individual variability. Signal transduction is involved in the formation and progression of AS. The transforming growth factor/extracellular regulated protein kinases (TGF/ERK) signaling pathway is involved in the pathophysiological regulation such as vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and inflammatory response, which are central links related to the development of AS. Resveratrol can exert beneficial effects at various stages of AS development by regulating lipid metabolism, inhibiting inflammatory development, and alleviating oxidative stress. We hypothesize that its anti-AS effects mainly through modulating the TGF/ERK signaling pathways. This review summarizes the current research progress of resveratrol in the treatment of AS via inhibiting the TGF/ERK signaling pathway and presents the prospects.