动脉粥样硬化（Atherosclerosis，AS）是导致心血管疾病的主要病理因素，阻止或逆转其病程进展对心血管疾病的防治具有至关重要的意义。研究表明血管外膜不再是动脉粥样硬化的旁观者。作为重要参与者，外膜在斑块形成和发展中起着重要的作用。外膜内细胞的功能性变化与AS密切相关，比如外膜成纤维细胞、肥大细胞、干细胞/祖细胞、滋养血管以及补体等均可参与AS发生发展。同时中医药通过调控血管外膜在防治AS中取得了良好的疗效。因此综述近十年血管外膜内细胞成分在AS过程中的变化及中医药通过血管外膜调控AS的研究进展，旨在为AS的机制研究和中医药治疗策略拓展新思路。

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the main pathological factor leading to cardiovascular disease. Preventing or reversing the progression of AS is of vital importance for improving the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that the adventitia is no longer a bystander of atherosclerosis. As an important participant, the adventitia plays a vital role in the formation and development of plaque. The functional changes of cells in the adventitia are closely related to AS. For example, adventitia fibroblasts, mast cells, stem cells/progenitor cells, trophoblast and complement et al can all participate in the development of AS. At the same time, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has achieved good curative effect in the prevention and treatment of AS by regulating vascular adventitia. Therefore, this paper reviews the changes of cellular components in the vascular adventitia in the process of AS and the research progress of TCM regulating AS through vascular adventitia in recent 10 years. The purpose is to expand new ideas for the mechanism research of AS and TCM treatment strategies.

国家自然科学基金青年基金项目（82205021）：基于平滑肌细胞源外泌体miR145调控外膜成纤维细胞表型转化探讨丹蒌片抗动脉粥样硬化的机制研究，负责人：李晓辉；河南省中医药科学研究专项课题（2021JDZY105）：基于miR145探讨丹蒌片抑制动脉粥样硬化血管平滑肌细胞表型转化的作用机制，负责人：李晓辉；河南省中医药科学研究专项课题（2017ZY2017）：加味小柴胡调控p38MAPK/GSK3/CREB通路干预急性心肌梗死合并抑郁大鼠的机理研究，负责人：朱翠玲。