[Research progress in prevention and treatment of vascular calcification with traditional Chinese medicine]

Vascular calcification is a pathological stage involved in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases, seriously threatening human life and health. At present, few drugs can completely reverse or cure vascular calcification in clinical practice. The pathogenesis of vascular calcification mainly involves the disturbance of calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, autophagy dysfunction, loss of endogenous calcium inhibition, and the apoptosis, cytokine storm, cell osteoblastic transdifferentiation, and stromal vesicle release induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress. Following the therapeutic concepts of warming channels and dredging vessels, activating blood and resolving stasis, tonifying kidney and invigorating spleen, and removing dampness and eliminating turbid, a large number of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) active compounds/extracts and TCM prescriptions/Chinese patent medicines have shown satisfactory performance in treating vascular calcification, while the specific mechanisms remain unclear and awaits further investigations. This article systematically summarized the pathogenesis of vascular calcification and the latest research progress of TCM in the prevention and treatment of vascular calcification, providing theoretical support for the clinical application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of vascular calcification.