We used the carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver cirrhosis model to test the molecular mechanism of action involved in cirrhosis-associated cardiac hypertrophy and the effectiveness of Ocimum gratissimum extract (OGE) and silymarin against cardiac hypertrophy. We treated male wistar rats with CCl4 and either OGE (0.02 g/kg B.W. or 0.04 g/kg B.W.) or silymarin (0.2 g/kg B.W.). Cardiac eccentric hypertrophy was induced by CCl4 along with cirrhosis and increased expression of cardiac hypertrophy related genes NFAT, TAGA4, and NBP, and the interleukin-6 (IL-6) signaling pathway related genes MEK5, ERK5, JAK, and STAT3. OGE or silymarin co-treatment attenuated CCl4-induced cardiac abnormalities, and lowered expression of genes which were elevated by this hepatotoxin. Our results suggest that the IL-6 signaling pathway may be related to CCl4-induced cardiac hypertrophy. OGE and silymarin were able to lower liver fibrosis, which reduces the chance of cardiac hypertrophy perhaps by lowering the expressions of IL-6 signaling pathway related genes. We conclude that treatment of cirrhosis using herbal supplements is a viable option for protecting cardiac tissues against cirrhosis-related cardiac hypertrophy.

Previously we found carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) induced cirrhosis associated cardiac hypertrophy and apoptosis. The purpose of this study is to determine whether further CCl₄ treatment would induce cardiac cell fibrosis. The cardiac tissues were analyzed by H&E. histological staining, Trichrome Masson staining and Western blotting. The results showed that the CCl₄-treated-only group exhibits more trichrome staining, meaning that more fibrosis is present. Moreover, CCl₄ could further induce cardiac-fibrosis via TGF-β-p-Smad2/3-CTGF pathway. However, our data showed that the CCl₄- indcued cardiac abnormalities were attenuated by Ocimum gratissimum extract (OGE) and silymarin co- treatments. In conclusion, our results indicated that the OGE and silymarin may be a potential traditional herb for the protection of cardiac tissues from the CCl4 induced cirrhosis associated cardiac fibrosis through modulating the TGF-β signaling pathway.

A new spinning index for a PAN precursor fiber is proposed that includes the viscosity of a spinning dope, the thermodynamic affinity, and the draw ratio during the spinning process. Through dry-jet wet spinning, six types of PAN precursor fibers with different spinning parameters, including solid content, solvent content in a bath, and draw ratio, were fabricated and analyzed with tensile tests, SEM, and XRD. The results show that the spinning index can reflect the mechanical properties of the fibers but is less indicative of crystallinity. Hence, the current spinning index is recommended for use as an indicator for the mechanical properties of PAN precursor fibers.