Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of DSHT alone and in combination with AT, and the potential mechanisms underlying its effect by studying atherosclerotic plaque formation and changes in lipid metabolism and the balance of macrophage polarization in atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). This evidence concerns the gene APOE and atherosclerosis.