Digital gene expression analysis of the pathogenesis and therapeutic mechanisms of ligustrazine and puerarin in rat atherosclerosis

•Rat AS model was established by the administration of vitamin D3 and cholesterol.•DGE was used firstly for the analysis of pathogenesis and therapeutic mechanisms.•DEGs between groups were obtained and analyzed comprehensively.•Provide a basis for understanding the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the leading cause of death in modern societies. Active substance from Traditional Chinese Medicine has been used for the treatment of AS, such as ligustrazine and puerarin. However, the pathogenesis of AS and the curative mechanisms of ligustrazine and puerarin stay unclear. In this work, we attempted to figure out these questions using a rat AS model and digital gene expression (DGE) system. Our results showed that DGE sequencing outcomes were high quality and reproductively. Differentially expressed genes were obtained from different comparisons. The Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that mainly enriched GO terms due to the drug treatment were the same as those obtained from the control group vs. the AS model group. Pathway analysis indicated that metabolic pathways, oxidative phosphorylation, and PPAR single pathways were enriched in all comparisons. Our work provided a comprehensive basis for a better understanding of the pathogenesis of AS and the curative mechanisms of ligustrazine and puerarin.