The effect of Guanxin Shutong capsule on alleviating the myocardial fibrosis in heart failure rats

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 275; p. 114169
• Main Authors: Pan, Yuming, Shao, Chongyu, Zhang, Ling, He, Yu, Yang, Jintao, Fu, Wei, Yang, Jiehong, Wan, Haitong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 15.07.2021
• Subjects: Animals; Aorta, Thoracic - surgery; Capsules; Cardiomyopathies - diagnostic imaging; Cardiomyopathies - drug therapy; Cardiomyopathies - etiology; Cardiomyopathies - metabolism; Collagen - metabolism; Constriction; Digoxin - pharmacology; Digoxin - therapeutic use; Disease Models, Animal; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Echocardiography; Fibrosis; Fibrosis - drug therapy; Fibrosis - etiology; Fibrosis - metabolism; Guanxin shutong capsule; Heart failure; Heart Failure - complications; Heart Failure - diagnostic imaging; Heart Failure - drug therapy; Heart Failure - metabolism; Ligation; Male; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Myofibroblasts - drug effects; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Smad3 Protein - metabolism; Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism; Transverse aortic constriction; Ventricular Remodeling - drug effects; Heart failure; Transverse aortic constriction; Fibrosis; Guanxin shutong capsule
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114169

Guanxin Shutong (GXST) capsule is a renowned traditional Chinese medicine widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the clinic. However, no pharmacological experimental studies of GXST has been reported on the treatment of pressure overload-induced heart failure. This study aimed to investigate the effects of GXST capsule on ameliorating myocardial fibrosis conditions in pressure overload-induced heart failure rats. Rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: Normal group, Model group, GXST-treated group at a dose of 0.5 g/kg, 1 g/kg, 2 g/kg, respectively, and digoxin positive control group at a dose of 1 mg/kg. After 4 weeks of administration, cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography. Cardiac injury and fibrotic conditions were evaluated by H&E staining, Masson staining, and Sirius Red staining. Myocardial fibrosis was evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining and Western blot. GXST significantly inhibited cardiac fibrosis, reduced the excessive deposition of collagen, and finally improved cardiac function. GXST reversed ventricular remodeling might be through the TGF-β/Smad3 pathway. GXST capsule demonstrated a strong anti-fibrosis effect in heart failure rats by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad3 signaling pathway. [Display omitted]