3.1 Geniposide
Geniposide, an iridoid glucoside, is the main active ingredient ofGardenia jasminoides J. Ellis. Geniposide exhibits a variety of
anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative functions and has good therapeutic
effects on cardiovascular diseases (Y. Fu et al., 2012). A study has
found that geniposide treatment reduces lipid levels and plaque size in
the mouse model of atherosclerosis. Mechanistically, geniposide
downregulates miR-101 to upregulate
mitogen-activated protein kinase
phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) and suppresses the production of inflammatory
factors in macrophages (S. Cheng et al., 2019). MiR-21 has been shown to
play an important role in regulating inflammatory responses by targeting
phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) (R. Li, Hu, & Hou, 2022; Sheedy,
2015). A study established an endothelial cell injury model by using
ox-LDL and found geniposide
protects endothelial cells from ox-LDL-induced injury by inhibiting
oxidative stress and inflammation, and these effects are partly due to
the enhancement of the miR‑21/PTEN pathway (Zhou et al., 2020). Taken
together, miR-101 and miR-21 are involved in the anti-inflammatory
effect of geniposide in the setting of atherosclerosis.