Traditional Chinese Medication Qiliqiangxin Protects Against Cardiac Remodeling and Dysfunction in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Abstract

Qiliqiangxin (QLQX), a traditional Chinese herbs medication, exerted protective effect in chronic heart failure patients in a multicenter randomized double-blind study. QLQX has also been found to improve cardiac function and reduce cardiac fibrosis in spontaneously hypertension animal model. However, the effect of longterm treatment with QLQX in such a condition and the related molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In the present study, thirteen-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were treated by daily intragastric administration of QLQX or saline for one year. Echocardiography, electron microscopy, and Masson's trichrome staining were used to determine cardiac function, mitochondria ultrastructure, and cardiac fibrosis, respectively. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCRs) and Western blotting were used to determine gene expressions. We found that QLQX significantly improved cardiac function and reduced gene markers of pathological hypertrophy including ANP, BNP, and Myh7. QLQX also attenuated cardiac fibrosis and apoptosis in SHRs as evidenced by downregulation of α-SMA, collagen I, collagen III, and TGF-β expressions and reduction of Bax to Bcl-2 ratio. Moreover, the damage of mitochondrial ultrastructure was greatly improved and the reduction of PPAR-α, PPAR-γ, and PGC-1α expression levels was significantly restored in SHRs by treatment with QLQX. In conclusion, longterm treatment with QLQX protects against cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in hypertension by increasing PPARs and PGC-1α.

Antihypertensive and Antifibrosis Effects of Acupuncture at PC6 Acupoints in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats and the Underlying Mechanisms

“…In the present study, we investigated the antifibrosis effects of EA at PC6 in SHRs and its underlying mechanisms. Our result is in alignment with previous reports ( Wang et al, 2017 ; Chiang et al, 2018 ) showing that, as compared with WKY controls, the collagen fiber proliferated obviously, and the CVF and Hyp as well as the expression of Col I and Col III in cardiac interstitial tissue were significantly increased in SHRs, which indicated the pathological manifestations of MF. Of note is that the degeneration and structure disturbance of the myocardium were improved by 8 weeks of EA treatment.…”

Qiliqiangxin Capsule Improves Cardiac Function and Attenuates Cardiac Remodeling by Upregulating miR-133a after Myocardial Infarction in Rats

“…In China, TCM have been considered as an alternative and adjuvant approach to the prevention of CVD and injury induced by ischemia/reperfusion [8, 14, 15]. The present study focuses on QLC, composed of multiple natural herbs, which plays a protective role in cardiac remodeling [16]. However, its pharmacological mechanism is not entirely clear.…”

Nobiletin Attenuates Pathological Cardiac Remodeling after Myocardial Infarction via Activating PPARγ and PGC1α

“…Studies examining the effects of the traditional Chinese medicine qiliqiangxin capsule have revealed cardiac-protective functions mediated via PPAR γ regulation [ 8 ]. Citri reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP), a component of the qiliqiangxin capsule, inhibits pathological cardiac hypertrophy caused by multiple factors [ 9 , 10 ]. Nobiletin (NOB) is the active monomer isolated from CRP, with the molecular formula C 21 H 22 O 8 (the chemical structure is shown in Figure 1(a) ).…”