免疫炎症反应在动脉粥样硬化（AS）发生发展中起着重要作用,inflammasomes/caspases通路作为内皮细胞和巨噬细胞免疫炎症交互作用的关键通路，是引起细胞程序性死亡（焦亡、凋亡）的关键。课题组前期研究发现活血解毒方基于炎症反应抗AS、稳定斑块等方面有确切疗效，对该通路下游关键炎症因子IL-1β有明显抑制作用，但其具体机制尚不清楚。因此提出假说：活血解毒方通过调控inflammasomes/caspases通路，减少炎症因子释放，抑制内皮/巨噬细胞凋亡、焦亡，发挥抗AS作用。本项目建立ApoE-/-小鼠模型，ox-LDL诱导的内皮、巨噬细胞损伤模型，采用基因沉默技术和特异性抑制剂干预该通路关键蛋白，探讨活血解毒方基于Inflammasomes/caspases通路抗AS、及干预细胞凋亡、焦亡的不同效应与机制，以期为AS的中医药防治提供新的思路，丰富“瘀毒”理论科学内涵。

The immune inflammatory response plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis (AS). The inflammasomes/caspases pathway acts as a key pathway for the immune inflammatory interaction between endothelial cell and macrophage, causing programmed cell death (pyroptosis, apoptosis). Our previous studies showed that Huoxue Jiedu Decoction has good effects on anti-AS and stabilizing plaque by suppressing inflammatory response, with significant downregulation of IL-1β——a key inflammatory factor downstream of the inflammasomes/caspases pathway, but its specific mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, we put forward the hypothesis: Huoxue Jiedu Decoction can reduce the release of inflammatory factors by regulating the inflammasomes/caspases pathway, inhibiting the pyroptosis /apoptosis of endothelial cell and macrophage, and finally exhibiting the anti-atherosclerosis effect. This project establish ApoE-/- mouse model, ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell and macrophage injury model, and use gene silencing technology and specific inhibitors to intervene in key proteins of this pathway, and explore the different effects and mechanisms of Huoxue Jiedu Decoction on anti-AS and anti-pyroptosis /apoptosisby Inflammasomes/caspases pathway. The results may provide novel method for the prevention and treatment of AS by traditional Chinese medicine, enrich the scientific connotation of “blood-stasis and toxin”theory.