Qiliqiangxin attenuates atrial structural remodeling in prolonged pacing-induced atrial fibrillation in rabbits

Qili Qiangxin (QLQX) capsule as a multi-functional traditional Chinese medicine in treating chronic heart failure (CHF): A review of ingredients, molecular, cellular, and pharmacological mechanisms

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a key part of cardiovascular continuum. Under the guidance of the theory of vessel-collateral doctrine, the present study proposes therapeutic benefits of Qili Qiangxin (QLQX) capsules, an innovative Chinese medicine, on chronic heart failure. The studies show that multiple targets of the drug on CHF, including enhancing myocardial systole, promoting urine excretion, inhibiting excessive activation of the neuroendocrine system, preventing ventricular remodeling by inhibiting inflammatory response, myocardial fibrosis, apoptosis and autophagy, enhancing myocardial energy metabolism, promoting angiogenesis, and improving endothelial function. Investigation on the effects and mechanism of the drug is beneficial to the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) through multiple targets and/or signaling pathways. Meanwhile, it provides new insights to further understand other refractory diseases in the cardiovascular continuum, and it also has an important theoretical and practical significance in enhancing prevention and therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine for these diseases.

Processed lateral root of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx.: A review of cardiotonic effects and cardiotoxicity on molecular mechanisms

Fuzi, the lateral root of A. carmichaelii Debx., is a typical traditional herbal medicine with both poisonousness and effectiveness, and often used in the treatment of heart failure and other heart diseases. In this review, we searched domestic and foreign literature to sort out the molecular mechanisms of cardiotonic and cardiotoxicity of Fuzi, also including its components. The major bioactive components of Fuzi for cardiotonic are total alkaloids, polysaccharide and the water-soluble alkaloids, with specific mechanisms manifested in the inhibition of myocardial fibrosis, apoptosis and autophagy, and improvement of mitochondrial energy metabolism, which involves RAAS system, PI3K/AKT, JAK/STAT, AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway, etc. Diester-diterpenoid alkaloids in Fuzi can produce cardiotoxic effects by over-activating Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ ion channels, over-activating NLRP3/ASC/caspase-3 inflammatory pathway and mitochondria mediated apoptosis pathway. And three clinically used preparations containing Fuzi are also used as representatives to summarize their cardiac-strengthening molecular mechanisms. To sum up, Fuzi has shown valuable cardiotonic effects due to extensive basic and clinical studies, but its cardiotonic mechanisms have not been systematically sorted out. Therefore, it is a need for deeper investigation in the mechanisms of water-soluble alkaloids with low content but obvious therapeutic effect, as well as polysaccharide.

Protective Effect of Qiliqiangxin against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy by Suppressing Excessive Autophagy and Apoptosis

Background

Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most potent and widely prescribed antitumor agents; however, its clinical use is limited by cardiac side effects. In this study, we aimed to clarify the protective effects of Qiliqiangxin (QL), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and to explore the underlying mechanisms in a rat model.

Methods

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups with different interventions (control, DOX, and DOX plus QL) for 31 days. Cardiac function was monitored. The levels of oxidative stress in plasm were detected, the activities of autophagy and apoptosis in rat hearts were determined, and then, the related PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal pathway regulating apoptosis and autophagy was investigated.

Results

QL improved cardiac dysfunction and decreased the increased level of cardiac enzymes in plasm caused by DOX. Moreover, DOX exposure resulted in oxidative stress enhancement, which was suppressed by QL treatment. Then, we discovered that DOX intervention caused the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes by activating the mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathway which was strongly inhibited by QL treatment. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in autophagic activities in the DOX-stimulated myocardium. Administration of QL substantially inhibited the enhanced autophagic activities, which might be attributed to the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR cascade, followed by suppression of ULK1 activity.

Conclusions

QL exhibited protective roles against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity possibly via mediating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, leading to inhibition of autophagy and subsequent apoptosis activities.

Evaluating the Effect of Circ-Sirt1 on the Expression of SIRT1 and Its Role in Pathology of Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease that plagues a major portion of the world's population, and there is currently no effective cure for this ailment. The proliferation and migration of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) are known to be the pathological basis of pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension. Studies in the past have shown involvement of CircRNA in the pathology of pulmonary as well as cardiovascular diseases. However, there are very few studies that have analyzed the relationship between CircRNA and PAH. The aim of this study was to explore this relationship by using rat PAH model. A hypoxic, PAH rat model was constructed for this study and the subsequently produced hypoxia-induced rat PASMC cells were utilized to demonstrate the reduction in expression of circular RNA of Silent information regulator factor 2-related enzyme 1 (circ-Sirt1) and SIRT1 mRNA in response to hypoxia, through cell function tests, cell rescue tests, and physical tests. We found that the expression of circ-Sirt1 and SIRT1 decreased in the PAH rat model induced by hypoxia. It was also revealed that the overexpression of circ-SIRT1 increased SIRT1 levels, but inhibited the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, Smad3, and Smad7, and weakened PASMC cell vitality, proliferation, and migration ability. The findings of the present study indicate that circ-Sirt1 regulates the expression of SIRT1 mRNA and inhibits TGF-β1/Smad3/Smad7 mediated proliferation and migration of PASMC. This provides a new insight into the molecular mechanism of pulmonary artery vascular remodeling in PAH and may aid in the development of novel therapeutic options for management of PAH.

Therapeutic Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Cardiovascular Diseases: the Central Role of Calcium Signaling

Calcium, as a second messenger, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The malfunction of calcium signaling in endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells promotes hypertension. In cardiomyocytes, calcium overload induces apoptosis, leading to myocardial infarction and arrhythmias. Moreover, the calcium–calcineurin–nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) pathway is essential for expressing the cardiac pro-hypertrophic gene. Heart failure is also characterized by reduced calcium transient amplitude and enhanced sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium leakage. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat CVDs for thousands of years in China. Because of its multicomponent and multitarget characteristics, TCM's unique advantages in CVD treatment are closely related to the modulation of multiple calcium handling proteins and calcium signaling pathways in different types of cells involved in distinct CVDs. Thus, we systematically review the diverse mechanisms of TCM in regulating calcium pathways to treat various types of CVDs, ranging from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to diabetic heart disease.

Qiliqiangxin alleviates Ang II-induced CMECs apoptosis by downregulating autophagy via the ErbB2-AKT-FoxO3a axis

Our previous work revealed the protective effect of Qiliqiangxin (QLQX) on cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to investigate whether QLQX exerts its protective effect against high-concentration angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced CMEC apoptosis through the autophagy machinery. CMECs were cultured in high-concentration Ang II (1 μM) medium in the presence or absence of QLQX for 48 h. We found that QLQX obviously inhibited Ang II-triggered autophagosome synthesis and apoptosis in cultured CMECs. QLQX-mediated protection against Ang II-induced CMEC apoptosis was reversed by the autophagy activator rapamycin. Specifically, deletion of ATG7 in cultured CMECs indicated a detrimental role of autophagy in Ang II-induced CMEC apoptosis. QLQX reversed Ang II-mediated ErbB2 phosphorylation impairment. Furthermore, inhibition of ErbB2 phosphorylation with lapatinib in CMECs revealed that QLQX-induced downregulation of Ang II-activated autophagy and apoptosis was ErbB2 phosphorylation-dependent via the AKT-FoxO3a axis. Activation of ErbB2 phosphorylation by Neuregulin-1β achieved a similar CMEC-protective effect as QLQX in high-concentration Ang II medium, and this effect was also abolished by autophagy activation. These results show that the CMEC-protective effect of QLQX under high-concentration Ang II conditions could be partly attributable to QLQX-mediated ErbB2 phosphorylation-dependent downregulation of autophagy via the AKT-FoxO3a axis.

Integrating Pharmacokinetics Study, Network Analysis, and Experimental Validation to Uncover the Mechanism of Qiliqiangxin Capsule Against Chronic Heart Failure

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to propose an integrated strategy for investigating the mechanism of Qiliqiangxin capsule (QLQX) to treat chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods: Pharmacokinetics analysis was performed to screen the active components of QLQX using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry techniques. We then constructed the component-target network between the targets of active components in QLQX and CHF using Cytoscape. A network analysis, including topological parameters, clustering, and pathway enrichment, was established to identify the hub targets and pathways. Finally, some of the predicted hub targets were validated experimentally in human cardiac microvascular endothelial cell (HCMEC). Results: We identified 29 active components in QLQX, and 120 consensus potential targets were determined by the pharmacokinetics analysis and network pharmacology approach. Further network analysis indicated that 6 target genes, namely, VEGFA, CYP1A1, CYP2B6, ATP1A1, STAT3, and STAT4, and 10 predicted functional genes, namely, KDR, FLT1, NRP2, JAK2, EGFR, IL-6, AHR, ATP1B1, JAK1, and HIF1A, may be the primary targets regulated by QLQX for the treatment of CHF. Among these targets, VEGFA, IL-6, p-STAT3, and p-JAK2 were selected for validation in the HCMEC. The results indicated that QLQX may inhibit inflammatory processes and promote angiogenesis in CHF via the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. Conclusions: This study provides a strategy for understanding the mechanism of QLQX against CHF by combining pharmacokinetics study, network pharmacology, and experimental validation.