3.13 Paeonol
Paeonol is one of the main active compounds in Tree Peony Bark, which
has been found to have anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic and
antioxidant properties (M. H. Bao, Zhang, & Zhou, 2013; P. K. Fu, Wu,
Tsai, & Hsieh, 2012). Paeonol could increase the expression of miR-223
in macrophage-derived exosomes, and after the uptaking of exosomes by
endothelial cells, the STAT3 signaling and the related inflammatory
response in endothelial cells can be attenuated (Y. Liu et al., 2018).
Another study also found similarly protective results of paeonol on
endothelial cells in hyperlipidemia-induced atherosclerosis, which is
also attributed to cellular uptake of exosomal miR-223 (Shi et al.,
2020). Additionally, paeonol also promotes miR-126 expression to inhibit
monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells and block the activation of the
PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway (X. Yuan, Chen, & Dai, 2016).
Moreover, miR-21 and its target PTEN also contribute to the protective
effects of paeonol on ox-LDL-induced endothelial injury (Y. R. Liu,
Chen, & Dai, 2014). MiR-338-3p was proved to be increased in
atherosclerotic lesions, and paeonol treatment could downregulates the
expression of miR-338-3p and upregulates the expression of Tet
methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2), thereby relieving ox-LDL-induced
endothelial cell damage (Yin, Hou, & Yang, 2019; Yu, Yan, Chen, Sun, &
Yan, 2020). Paeonol can also weaken ox-LDL-induced endothelial autophagy
through regualting miR-30a/beclin-1 signaling (C. Li, Yang, Wu, & Dai,
2018). Overall, these studies indicate that paeonol has strong
endothelial protective effects, which is associated with regulation of
various miRNAs and their targets.