Sang-qi Granula Reduces Blood Pressure and Myocardial Fibrosis by Suppressing Inflammatory Responses Associated with the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors and Nuclear Factor κ B Protein in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Atractylenolide II ameliorates myocardial fibrosis and oxidative stress in spontaneous hypertension rats

BACKGROUND

Hypertension is a well-recognized risk factor for cardiovascular, which is also a critical factor in causing myocardial fibrosis (MF).

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to explore the effect of Atractylenolide II (ATL-II) on MF and oxidative stress in spontaneous hypertension rats (SHR).

METHODS

The body weight of rats after injection of ATL-II was quantitatively analyzed. The left ventricular function of SHR was evaluated by Echocardiographic. HE staining, Masson trichrome staining, left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and immunofluorescence was applied to investigate the effects of ATL-II on MF. RT qPCR was used to detect the Collagen I, α-SMA, Fibronectin, and Vimentin mRNA expression levels in myocardial slices. The effect ATL-II on cardiomyocyte apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining and western blot. An immunohistochemistry assay was conducted to detect α-SMA protein and TGF-β1 protein. The contents of H2O2, GSH-PX, SOD, and MDA were measured by colorimetry.

RESULTS

ATL-II could dose-dependently improve the BW of SHRs (P< 0.05) and enhance myocardial function. Moreover, ATL-II effectively reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in SHRs. Alternatively, ATL-II could inhibit the Collagen I, α-SMA, Fibronectin, and Vimentin mRNA and protein expression levels in SHRs. ATL-II could ameliorate oxidative stress by improving the activities of SOD and GSH-PX and lowering the contents of H2O2 and MDA in ATL-II-treated SHRs, which reach about 80%.

CONCLUSION

ATL-II could exert an inhibiting effect on MF and oxidative stress in SHRs. Hence, ATL-II may hold promise for the treatment of MF and oxidative stress in Spontaneous Hypertension.

Positive Effect of a Pea-Clam Two-Peptide Composite on Hypertension and Organ Protection in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

In the present study, we prepared pea peptides with high angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity in vitro using an enzymatic hydrolysis of pea protein and compounded them with clam peptides to obtain a pea-clam double peptide. The effects of the two-peptide composite and pea peptides on hypertension and the damage-repair of corresponding organs were studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). We found that both pea peptides and the two-peptide composite significantly reduced the blood pressure upon a single or long-term intragastric administration, with the two-peptide composite being more effective. Mechanistically, we found that the two-peptide composite could regulate the renal renin-angiotensin system (RAS), rebalance gut microbial dysbiosis, decrease renal and myocardial fibrosis, and improve renal and cardiac function and vascular remodeling. Additionally, hippocampal lesions caused by hypertension were also eliminated after two-peptide composite administration. Our research provides a scientific basis for the use of this two-peptide composite as a safe antihypertension ingredient in functional foods.

The Important Role of TaohongSiwu Decoction in Gut Microbial Modulation in Response to High-Salt Diet-Induced Hypertensive Mice

TaohongSiwu decoction (THSWD), a traditional Chinese recipe, has been widely used to treat hypertension since ancient times. However, the mechanisms of its action are still unclear. Herein, we aimed to explore the gut microbial activity of THSWD in high-salt diet-induced hypertensive mice. Eight percent high-salt (NaCl) diet was used to induce hypertension for 4 weeks in a mouse model. Meanwhile, THSWD was used to intervene in the high-salt diet-induced mice, and the efficacy was evaluated by different parameters. Here, we found that THSWD significantly restored blood pressure compared with the model group. Moreover, THSWD effectively protected endothelial function by significantly upregulating the level of nitric oxide (NO) and downregulating the level of endothelin-1 (ET-1), angiotensin I (AngI), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in serum compared with the model group. Notably, THSWD significantly upregulated the relative abundance of Dubosiella and downregulated that of Cyanobium_PCC-6307 and DNF00809 at the genus level compared with the model group. The results of PCA and microbial distance calculation further exhibited that THSWD treatment resulted in significant regulation of the microbial community. Furthermore, compared with the model group, THSWD increased the level of vitamin k2 (VK2) in serum. These findings indicate that THSWD could protect blood pressure and endothelial function by regulating gut microbiota and promoting microbial metabolite VK2. These results show the important role of THSWD in regulating the gut microbiota in response to high-salt diet-induced mice.

Identification and Antihypertension Study of Novel Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Peptides from the Skirt of Chlamys farreri Fermented with Bacillus natto

The aim of this study was to isolate the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides from the skirt of Chlamys farreri fermented with Bacillus natto and to explore the antihypertension effect through in vivo studies. ACE inhibitory peptides were purified from the fermentation mixture by ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography sequentially. The amino acids' sequence of the five novel ACE inhibitory peptides were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Animal experiments demonstrated that the novel ACE inhibitory peptides significantly reduced the blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats after a single or long-time treatment. Potential mechanisms were explored, and the results indicated that the novel peptides could regulate the renal renin-angiotensin system, improve vascular remodeling, inhibit myocardial fibrosis, and rebalance the gut microbial dysbiosis. Our results suggest that the fermentation products of the Chlamys farreri skirt by B. natto are potential sources of active peptides processing antihypertension activities.

Mechanism of SQQX Decoction's Protective Effect on SHR: A Serum Metabolomics-Based Analysis

SangQiQingXuan (SQQX) decoction is a pharmaceutical preparation exerting good therapeutic efficacy on high blood pressure (BP) and has widely been accepted in primarily hypertensive patients as a herbal formula prescribed by Professor Li Huang from China-Japan Friendship Hospital according to her 30-year clinical experience. A previous study showed that SQQX could reduce BP by decreasing levels of many inflammatory factors such as transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) and elevating peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) expression. However, a research focusing on SQQX's protection against HTN from a metabolomic perspective has never been done before. This study aimed to figure out the metabolic profiling variations due to oral administration of SQQX in spontaneous hypertensive rat (SHR) models and to find out the optimal dosage of SQQX. SHR in the intervention group orally received SQQX extract of three doses, namely, the low- (5.25 g/kg/d), middle- (10.5 g/kg/d), and high-dosage groups (21 g/kg/d) for 90 days. Rats were sacrificed at the end of the experiment, and their serum was collected for further examination. Serum metabolic profiling variations were analyzed using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS). Results showed that dealing with SQQX remarkably decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) of SHRs and the high-dosage group was with the best therapeutic effect where a total of 11 metabolites were markedly changed in contrast to the model group. Orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) score plot showed that the 5 groups of serum samples were divided into 5 categories, and the metabolic trajectory of the high-dosage SQQX group was inclined to move to the control group. Glycochenodeoxycholic acid, nicotinamide-N-oxide, and tryptophan betaine might be biomarkers that specifically marked the protective effects of SQQX against high BP mainly involving in cholesterol metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, bile secretion, and nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism. To conclude, SQQX has a protective effect on SHR, which may be partially correlated to restoration of perturbed metabolism in serum.

Effects of sang-qi granules on blood pressure and endothelial dysfunction in stage I or II hypertension: study protocol for a randomized double-blind double-simulation controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, hypertension is an important public health challenge because of its high prevalence and the concomitant risks of cardiovascular disease. It induces half of the coronary heart disease and approximately two-thirds of the cerebrovascular disease burden. Vascular endothelial dysfunction has important roles in the pathophysiology of essential hypertension. Types I and II hypertension can be treated with sang-qi granules (SQG), a Chinese herbal formula. Several experimental studies on animals have shown that SQG can lower blood pressure and myocardial fibrosis by suppressing inflammatory responses. However, no standard clinical trial has confirmed this. Whether SQG can improve endothelial cell function is unknown.

METHODS/DESIGN

In this randomized double-blind double-simulation controlled trial, 300 patients with stage I or II hypertension will be recruited and randomly allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to group A (treatment with SQG and placebo instead of Losartan), group B (treatment with Losartan and placebo instead of SQG), and group C (treatment with SQG and Losartan). In this study, 10 g of SQG (or its placebo) will be administrated twice a day and 50 mg of Losartan (or its placebo) will be administrated once in the morning. The primary endpoint is the drug efficiency for each of the three groups. The secondary endpoints are the change in average systolic and diastolic blood pressure during the day and the night, the change in the rate at which blood pressure drops at night, assessment of target organ damage (heart rate variability, ankle-brachial pressure index, and pulse wave velocity), assessment of any improvement in symptoms (Hypertension Symptom Scale, syndrome integral scale in traditional Chinese medicine, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey), blood lipids, serum indicators of vascular function (changes in serum levels of ET-1, TXA2, NO, and PGI2), and safety indicators.

DISCUSSION

This study aims to provide clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of SQG in the treatment of hypertension. Moreover, the possible mechanism by which SQG may lower blood pressure will be explored by observing the protective effect of SQG on vascular endothelial function, as well as its effect on related clinical symptoms, risk factors, and the target organs of hypertension.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trials Registry, ChiCTR1800016427. Registered on 1 June 2018.

Lecithin derived from ω-3 PUFA fortified eggs decreases blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Hypertension is the most common risk factor for stroke, coronary heart disease and heart failure, which are the leading causes of death worldwide. Dietary patterns and supplements intakes are becoming important factors in the hypertension. The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of new generation egg yolk phospholipids rich in lecithin (SL) esterified with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids on blood pressure in hypertensive rats (SHR). Here we have reported that lecithin (SL) derived from egg yolk lowers blood pressure in pathology of hypertension. The SHR rats treated with SL had significantly lower blood pressure than control group (157/104 vs. 178/121 mmHg; P < 0.05) and down-regulated mesenteric artery over-response to norepinephrine and potassium chloride, giving similar arterial response as for normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). Hypertensive rats treated by SL demonstrated significantly lower serum level of inflammatory factors. This work also indicates that SL treatment lowers heart rate and reduces the serum level of oxidative stress marker - nitrotyrosine - by 30–34% in both hypertensive and normotensive animals. Phospholipids with lecithin derived from PUFA fortified eggs may be a valuable dietary supplement in prophylaxis of hypertension and in patients with hypertension, however, this requires further studies on humans.

Human Endothelial Progenitor Cell-Derived Exosomes Increase Proliferation and Angiogenesis in Cardiac Fibroblasts by Promoting the Mesenchymal-Endothelial Transition and Reducing High Mobility Group Box 1 Protein B1 Expression

Myocardial fibrosis is a characteristic feature of cardiomyopathies. However, no effective strategies to attenuate cardiac fibrosis are currently available. Late-stage endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are precursors of endothelial cells (ECs) that repair the heart through a paracrine mechanism. In the present study, we tested whether EPC-derived exosomes regulate the differentiation of fibroblasts into ECs. We isolated late-stage EPCs from human peripheral blood (PB) and used immunofluorescence and flow cytometry to confirm their identity. Next, we isolated exosomes from the EPCs and characterized their morphology using electron microscopy and confirmed the expression of exosome-specific marker proteins using Western blots. We then investigated the in vitro effects of exosomes on the proliferation and angiogenesis of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and on the expression of the mesenchymal-endothelial transition (MEndT)-related genes and the myocardial fibrosis-regulated protein, high mobility group box 1 protein B1 (HMGB1). We found that human PB-EPC-derived exosomes enhanced the proliferation and angiogenesis of CFs in vitro. Furthermore, CFs stimulated with these exosomes showed increased expression of the EC-specific markers, like cluster of differentiation 31 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, and decreased expression of proteins involved in fibrosis, like alpha-smooth muscle actin, vimentin, collagen I, transforming growth factor-beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. In addition, CFs stimulated with human PB-EPC-derived exosomes, inhibited the expression of HMGB1. Taken together, our study demonstrated that EPC-derived exosomes promote the proliferation and angiogenesis of CFs by inhibiting MEndT and decreasing the expression of HMGB1.

A new Agkistrodon halys venom-purified protein C activator prevents myocardial fibrosis in diabetic rats

Aim

To assess the effects of protein C activator (PCA) from Agkistrodon halys snake venom on cardiac fibrosis in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rat model, and investigate the mechanisms of its action.

Methods

PCA was identified by one-dimensional reversed phase liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (120-140 g) were randomly assigned to negative control (NC) and diabetic group. Diabetes was induced by STZ in high-fat diet fed rats. Diabetic group was subdivided into three groups: diabetic group (DM), diabetic group treated with PCA (0.5, 2, and 8 mg/kg), and diabetic group treated with metformin (5 mg/kg, positive control). NC and DM groups received the same volume of distilled water. Left ventricular mass index (LVWI) and collagen volume fraction were measured by hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining. Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

The diabetic rat model was successfully established by STZ induction and high-fat diet. Glucose level, LVWI, TGF-β1 and IL-1β level, and collagen volume fraction were significantly reduced in diabetic rats treated by PCA in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.050), especially in the high dose (8 mg/kg) group (P < 0.010), compared to diabetes group. The high dose PCA had the same effect as metformin positive control in reducing the level of fasting blood glucose. PCA decreased the expression of MMP-2 and reduced that of TIMP-2.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that PCA has anti-fibrotic effects and that it may be used to treat myocardial fibrosis.

Yiqi Huaju formula, a Chinese herbal medicine, reduces arterial pressure in salt‑sensitive hypertension by inhibiting renin‑angiotensin system activation

Hypertension is a chronic disease with a high prevalence, and is associated with a high risk of vascular disease and premature death. Traditional Chinese medicine has been administered to treat hypertension for many years. In the present study, the effects of Yiqi Huaju formula (YQ; a compound used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine) were observed in salt‑sensitive hypertension, which was induced by a high‑salt and high‑fat (HSF) diet and the potential mechanism was investigated. YQ was prepared from five plant extracts and was dissolved in normal sodium chloride prior to use. Male Sprague‑Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups, and fed either a normal diet (control), an HSF diet or an HSF diet with YQ. At week eight, blood pressure was measured and 24‑h urine samples were collected from all of the rats. The rats were subsequently sacrificed, and their blood was collected for biochemical analyses and kidney tissue samples were dissected for the immunohistochemical assay. YQ was observed to decrease the high arterial pressure and serum total cholesterol level, which had been induced by the HSF diet. It also enhanced the excretion of urinary angiotensinogen, Na+, and decreased the loss of urinary aldosterone, K+ and microalbuminuria. In addition, YQ inhibited the high mRNA expression level of renal renin, angiotensin II (Ang II), and Ang II receptor, type 1 (AT1R), and inhibited the protein expression of renal AT1R and Ang II receptor type 2, which had been induced by the HSF diet. These results indicate that YQ may reduce the arterial pressure in salt‑sensitive hypertension via the inhibition of renin‑angiotensin system activation.