Identification and Comparison of Potential Biomarkers by Proteomic Analysis in Traditional Chinese Medicine-Based Heart Failure Syndromes

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is an epidemic disease affecting a large population worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is playing an increasingly important role in the clinical treatment of HF. According to the TCM theory, HF could be classified into Yang deficiency and Qi-yin deficiency; however, there are few objective and biological lines of evidence for differentiation of TCM HF syndromes to date. In this study, data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry was applied to comparatively analyze the protein expression in serum samples obtained from 12 Yang deficiency patients, 12 Qi-yin deficiency patients, and 12 healthy volunteers. Compared to the healthy controls, a total of 121 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) (77 upregulated and 44 downregulated proteins) were identified in Yang deficiency samples, while 59 DEPs (49 upregulated and 10 downregulated proteins) were detected in Qi-yin deficiency samples. Enrichment analyses of these DEPs based on the GO and KEGG databases revealed functional clusters associated with the immune system, signal transduction, and infectious disease. Several previously reported HF biomarker proteins were found to be the hub proteins in a protein-protein interaction network analysis. Three novel hub DEPs were identified as potential biomarkers for differentiation between different TCM syndromes of HF. The results provide biological insight into the differences of different TCM HF syndromes and an opportunity for specific biomarker identification for different TCM HF syndromes.

Key Cell Types and Biomarkers in Heart Failure Identified through Analysis of Single-Cell and Bulk RNA Sequencing Data

“…Sequencing technology is becoming faster and cheaper, facilitating large-scale analysis of multiple histological data to better understand and treat patients with HF. New biomarkers are being explored at different levels, including the epigenetic, proteomic [ 57 ], and metabolomic [ 58 ] levels, to elucidate the pathogenesis and treatment of HF [ 6 ]. In addition, the integration of clinical indicators with genomic studies can guide patient classification and precise treatment better [ 59 ].…”

Effects of recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide combined with tolvaptan on cardiac and renal function and serum inflammatory factors in patients with severe heart failure

“…Therefore, comprehensive management of patients with moderate and severe HF is a key clinical problem that needs addressing. [3] Currently, the treatment of HF includes cardiotonics, diuresis, vasodilation, heart rate, and blood pressure control, and other treatment measures, [5] with the objective of reducing cardiac load and enhancing quality of life. [6] Vasodilators are widely used because the resulting vasodilation increases the upper limit of individual volume load, reduces venous reflux, and reduces cardiac preload.…”