Systems biology identifies that regulation of type I interferon signaling is involved in the anti-atherogenic effects of andrographis paniculata

Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wall. ex Nees is a medicinal herb widely used in many Asian countries. Currently, there is little information about the effects and underlying mechanisms of whole andrographis paniculata plant on the development of atherosclerosis. To address this question, we carried out experiments in mouse primary peritoneal macrophages treated with crude serum preparations isolated from normal rats receiving vehicle or andrographis decoction treatment. Genome-wide mRNA sequencing revealed that ~70% of the genes regulated by lipopolysaccharides were reversed by andrographis. Further bioinformatics analysis indicated that andrographis inhibited type I interferon signaling. Given the established pathogenic effects of type I interferons in atherosclerosis, our results suggest that regulation of the type I interferon signaling in macrophage cells is partly involved in the anti-atherogenic effects of andrographis paniculata.