Huoxin Pill Reduces Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in Rats via TLR4/NFκB/NLRP3 Signaling Pathway

Protective mechanism of safflower yellow injection on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats by activating NLRP3 inflammasome

OBJECTIVES

This study intended to explore whether the protective effect safflower yellow injection (SYI) on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats mediated of the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling.

METHODS

The I/R model was prepared by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery for 45 min and then releasing the blood flow for 150 min. 96 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham group, I/R group, Hebeishuang group (HBS), SYI high-dose group (I/R + SYI-H), SYI medium-dose group (I/R + SYI-M) and SYI low-dose group (I/R + SYI-L). Cell experiments were divided into normal control group (NC), Oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation group (OGD/R), OGD/R + SYI group, OGD/R + SYI + Chloroquine group (OGD/R + SYI + CQ). The area of myocardial ischemia infarction and pathological changes were observed by the Tetrazolium method (TTC) and HE staining. Myocardial enzymes such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) were measured by chemiluminescence (CL) method. The inflammatory factors levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, MCP-1, and IL-6 were detected by ELISA. The expressions of inflammatory-related proteins (Caspase-1, NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB), autophagosome-related proteins (LC3-I, LC3-II,LC3-II/LC3-I), apoptosis-related proteins (Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase-3, Bcl-2/Bax) and autophagy-related proteins (p62/SQSTM1, PI3K, p-Akt, mTOR) were detected by Western-Blot. Cell morphology and cell viability were detected by transmission electron microscopy and CCK-8.

RESULTS

In vivo, compared with sham group, the percentage of myocardial infarction area was increased and myocardial tissue arrangement was disordered in I/R group. In addition, the activities of myocardial enzymes, the contents of inflammatory factors, the expressions of inflammatory-related proteins, autophagy-related proteins, autophagosome-related proteins, Bax and Caspase-3 were increased, while Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax were decreased. SYI treatment reversed these trends, except for the expression of autophagosome-related proteins. In vitro, SYI decreased the contents of inflammatory factors and the expressions of inflammatory-related proteins, autophagy-related proteins and autophagosome-related proteins caused by OGD/R. However, the contents of inflammatory factors and the expression of inflammatory-related proteins, p62/SQSTM1 and mTOR were increased, while PI3K, p-AKT, LC3-II/LC3-I were significantly decreased in OGD/R + SYI + CQ group.

CONCLUSIONS

SYI can promote myocardial tissue autophagy by regulating NLRP3, thereby attenuating the myocardial inflammatory response and protecting damaged myocardium in I/R rats.

Mechanistic analysis of Tanshinone IIA's regulation of the ATM/GADD45/ORC signaling pathway to reduce myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury

Background

By far, one of the best treatments for myocardial ischemia is reperfusion therapy. The primary liposoluble component of Danshen, a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, Tanshinone ⅡA, has been shown to have cardiac healing properties. The purpose of this work is to investigate the processes by which Tanshinone ⅡA influences myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) in the H9C2 cardiac myoblast cell line, as well as the association between Tanshinone ⅡA and MIRI.

Methods and results

The cardiac cells were divided into a normal group, a model group and Tanshinone ⅡA treatment groups. After 4 h of culture with the deprivation of oxygen and glucose, the cells were incubated normally for 2 h. The success of the model and the capacity of Tanshinone ⅡA to heal cardiac damage were validated by the outcomes of cell viability, morphology, and proliferation. The efficacy of Tanshinone ⅡA in treating MIRI was further confirmed by the scratch assay and biomarker measurement. The differentially expressed genes were examined using transcriptome sequencing. The Ataxia-Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM)/Growth Arrest and DNA Damage (GADD45)/Origin Recognition Complex (ORC) signaling pathway was identified as being crucial to this process by KEGG pathway analysis and GO enrichment. Molecular docking and RT-qPCR were used to confirm our results. The crucial function of the ATM/GADD45/ORC pathway was further confirmed by the addition of an ATM inhibitor, which inhibited the expression of ATM.

Conclusion

Tanshinone ⅡA can relieve the myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in cardiac cells by activating the ATM/GADD45/ORC pathway.

Therapeutic Role of Chinese Medicine Targeting Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), characterized by high incidence and mortality rates, poses a significant public health threat. Reperfusion therapy, though the preferred treatment for AMI, often exacerbates cardiac damage, leading to myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI). Consequently, the development of strategies to reduce MI/RI is an urgent priority in cardiovascular therapy. Chinese medicine, recognized for its multi-component, multi-pathway, and multi-target capabilities, provides a novel approach for alleviating MI/RI. A key area of interest is the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway. This pathway is instrumental in regulating inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and ferroptosis in MI/RI. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway's structure and its influence on MI/RI. Additionally, it reviews the latest research on leveraging Chinese medicine to modulate the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in MI/RI treatment.