Atherosclerosis leads to various problems including coronary artery heart disease and stroke which seriously threats to health. The oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein-cholesterol ( LDL-c) is considered to be a key factor to atherosclerosis in early lesion. Antioxidants, such as flavonoids, thus become potential anti-atherosclerosis agents for their function as excellent oxygen free radical scavengers and lipoprotein oxidation inhibitors. They prevent LDL-c from oxidative modification and decrease oxidative stress through the following mechanisms; Free-radical scavenging, metal ions chelating, endogenous antioxidant protection and cellular antioxidant modification. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is accompanied by inflammation and flavonoids have the ability to work against inflammation and platelet aggregation. There are some quantitative structure-activity relationships ( QSAR) about different types of flavonoids to atherosclerosis. This paper summarized the advances in the mechanisms of flavonoids against atherosclerosis.%动脉粥样硬化(atherosclerosis,AS)可导致一系列心脑血管疾病,如冠心病和中风等,严重威胁人们的健康.在AS早期病变中,低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-c)的氧化修饰起着关键作用.已知类黄酮化合物是优良的活性氧自由基清除剂和生物抗氧化剂.类黄酮化合物能防止LDL-c的氧化修饰,主要通过:清除自由基；螯合金属离子；保护内源性抗氧化物质,调节细胞抗氧化状态起作用.在AS发病过程中伴随炎症,类黄酮化合物有抗炎和抗血小板凝集的作用,进而抑制炎症因子的生成.不同种类的类黄酮化合物结构差异对AS作用有着明显差异,存在特定的构效关系.本文就植物类黄酮化合物防治AS的机理进展做一综述.
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