Effects of Hawthorn on Cardiac Remodeling and Left Ventricular Dysfunction after 1 Month of Pressure Overload-induced Cardiac Hypertrophy in Rats

• Published in: Cardiovascular drugs and therapy Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 19 - 28
• Main Authors: Hwang, Hyun Seok, Bleske, Barry E., Ghannam, Michael M. J., Converso, Kimber, Russell, Mark W., Hunter, James C., Boluyt, Marvin O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.02.2008; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Body Weight; Cardiology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiomegaly - drug therapy; Cardiovascular system; Crataegus - chemistry; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Echocardiography; Heart; Heart failure, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, cardiac enlargement; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - drug therapy; Ventricular Remodeling - drug effects; heart failure; left ventricular remodeling; hawthorn; aortic constriction; echocardiography; Heart; Heart failure; Echocardiography; Rat; Rodentia; Cardiovascular disease; Heart ventricle; Left ventricular failure; Pressure; Artery; Left ventricle; Cardiac overload; Vascular remodeling; Vertebrata; Mammalia; aortic constriction, hawthorn; Heart disease; Blood vessel; Animal; Aorta; Circulatory system; Left ventricle performance; Hypertrophy
• ISSN: 0920-3206; 1573-7241
• DOI: 10.1007/s10557-008-6082-2

Purpose Hawthorn ( Crataegus ) is a natural product used to treat patients with heart failure. The effects of hawthorn on cardiac remodeling, however, are not known. The purpose was to determine the effects of hawthorn treatment on remodeling and function of the left ventricle (LV) after 1 month of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Materials and methods Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 300 g) were subjected to sham operation (SH) or aortic constriction (AC) for 4 weeks and treated with Hawthorn (Crataegus-Extract- WS1442;1.3, 13, 130 mg kg −1 day −1 ; AC-L, AC-M, AC-H) or vehicle (SH-V, AC-V) for 3 weeks after surgery. Systolic and diastolic function were measured using echocardiographic assessment at baseline and 4 weeks after AC. Results AC increased the LV/body weight ratio by 34% in vehicle and hawthorn treated rats. Hawthorn markedly reduced LV chamber volumes (VOL) after AC [systolic VOL, mean ± SEM, mm 3 : SH-V, 87 ± 13; AC-V, 93 ± 12; AC-L, 62 ± 9; AC-M, 68 ± 12; AC-H; 50 ± 11 and diastolic VOL: SH-V, 433 ± 45; AC-V, 412 ± 57; AC-L, 313 ± 25; AC-M, 319 ± 37; AC-H, 264 ± 25 ( p  < 0.05)] and augmented relative wall thickness, mm: SH-V, 0.45 ± 0.02; AC-V, 0.65 ± 0.05; AC-L, 0.71 ± 0.03; AC-M, 0.74 ± 0.06; AC-H, 0.80 ± 0.09 ( p  < 0.05). AC reduced velocity of circumferential shortening (Vcf c ) by 28% compared with SH-V. Hawthorn attenuated the AC-induced decrease in Vcf c ( p  < 0.05). Conclusions Hawthorn treatment modifies left ventricular remodeling and counteracts myocardial dysfunction in early pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy.