Efficiency of Traditional Chinese medicine targeting the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant cause of death worldwide. Because of its major individual differences in genetic background, pathogenesis, and disease progression pattern, the mortality risk rate remains high following conventional Western medicine diagnosis under current guidelines. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has important multi-target, multi-pathway, and multi-layer benefits that can effectively address western medicine deficiencies. It was therefore commonly used in CVD diagnosis. Oxidative stress is also one of the main factors of CVD. Likewise, this main reaction regulator is the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related (Nrf2) factor. When activated, it can be transferred to the nucleus and initiated in the downstream pathway, thus playing an anti-oxidant stress role. As one of the most crucial endogenous protection systems in the body, Nrf2-related / heme oxygenase 1 (Nrf2/HO-1) signaling pathway is Nrf2's most classic approach to playing roles. Recently, various advances have been made to research and explain TCM by manipulating this pathway to treat CVD using modern molecular biology and other approaches. This analysis summarized the relationship between Nrf2/HO-1 signaling route, CVD and TCM. Further, Autodock calculation was also conducted to determine the binding amino acid on this TCM to Nrf2 and HO-1.