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Chen T, Su S, Yang Z, Zhang D, Li Z, Lu D. Srolo Bzhtang reduces inflammation and vascular remodeling via suppression of the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway in rats with pulmonary arterial hypertension. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2022; 297:115572. [PMID: 35872290 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Srolo Bzhtang (SBT), which consists of Solms-laubachia eurycarpa, Bergenia purpurascens, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, and lac secreted by Laccifer lacca Kerr (Lacciferidae Cockerell), is a well-known traditional Tibetan medicinal formula and was documented to cure "lung-heat" syndrome by eliminating "chiba" in the ancient Tibetan medical work Four Medical Tantras (Rgyud bzhi). Clinically, it is a therapy for pulmonary inflammatory disorders, such as pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, whether and how SBT participates in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is still unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY We aimed to determine the role of SBT in attenuating pulmonary arterial pressure and vascular remodeling caused by monocrotaline (MCT) and hypoxia. To elucidate the potential mechanism underlying SBT-mediated PAH, we investigated the changes in inflammatory cytokines and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS MCT- and hypoxia-induced PAH rat models were used. After administering SBT for four weeks, the rats were tested for hemodynamic indicators, hematological changes, pulmonary arterial morphological changes, and the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in serum and lung tissues. Protein expression of the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway was determined using western blotting. RESULTS SBT reduced pulmonary arterial pressure, vascular remodeling, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines induced by MCT and hypoxia in rats. Furthermore, SBT significantly suppressed the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that SBT alleviates MCT- and hypoxia-induced PAH in rats, which is related to its anti-inflammatory actions involving inhibition of the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Chen
- Research Center for High Altitude Medicine, Key Laboratory of High Altitude Medicine (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Application and Foundation for High Altitude Medicine Research in Qinghai Province (Qinghai-Utah Joint Research Key Lab for High Altitude Medicine), Qinghai University, Xining, 810001, PR China; Medical College, Qinghai University, Xining, 810001, PR China
| | - Shanshan Su
- Technical Center of Xining Customs (Key Laboratory of Food Safety Research In Qinghai Province), Xining, 810003, PR China
| | - Zhanting Yang
- Medical College, Qinghai University, Xining, 810001, PR China
| | - Dejun Zhang
- School of Ecological and Environmental Engineering, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, PR China
| | - Zhanqiang Li
- Research Center for High Altitude Medicine, Key Laboratory of High Altitude Medicine (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Application and Foundation for High Altitude Medicine Research in Qinghai Province (Qinghai-Utah Joint Research Key Lab for High Altitude Medicine), Qinghai University, Xining, 810001, PR China; Medical College, Qinghai University, Xining, 810001, PR China.
| | - Dianxiang Lu
- Research Center for High Altitude Medicine, Key Laboratory of High Altitude Medicine (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Application and Foundation for High Altitude Medicine Research in Qinghai Province (Qinghai-Utah Joint Research Key Lab for High Altitude Medicine), Qinghai University, Xining, 810001, PR China; Medical College, Qinghai University, Xining, 810001, PR China.
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Caruso L, Nadur NF, Brandão M, Peixoto Ferreira LDA, Lacerda RB, Graebin CS, Kümmerle AE. The Design of Multi-target Drugs to Treat Cardiovascular Diseases: Two (or more) Birds on one Stone. Curr Top Med Chem 2022; 22:366-394. [PMID: 35105288 DOI: 10.2174/1568026622666220201151248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) comprise a group of diseases and disorders of the heart and blood vessels, which together are the number one cause of death worldwide, being associated with multiple genetic and modifiable risk factors, and that may directly arise from different etiologies. For a long time, the search for cardiovascular drugs was based on the old paradigm "one compound - one target", which aims to obtain a highly potent and selective molecule with only one desired molecular target. Although historically successful in the last decades, this approach ignores the multiple causes and the multifactorial nature of CVD's. Thus, over time, treatment strategies for cardiovascular diseases have changed and, currently, pharmacological therapies for CVD are mainly based on the association of two or more drugs to control symptoms and reduce cardiovascular death. In this context, the development of multitarget drugs, i.e, compounds having the ability to act simultaneously at multiple sites, is an attractive and relevant strategy that can be even more advantageous to achieve predictable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics correlations as well as better patient compliance. In this review, we aim to highlight the efforts and rational pharmacological bases for the design of some promising multitargeted compounds to treat important cardiovascular diseases like heart failure, atherosclerosis, acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary arterial hypertension and arrhythmia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Caruso
- Laboratório de Diversidade Molecular e Química Medicinal (LaDMol-QM, Molecular Diversity and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory), Chemistry Institute, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Gradução em Química (PPGQ), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Nathalia Fonseca Nadur
- Laboratório de Diversidade Molecular e Química Medicinal (LaDMol-QM, Molecular Diversity and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory), Chemistry Institute, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Gradução em Química (PPGQ), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Marina Brandão
- Laboratório de Diversidade Molecular e Química Medicinal (LaDMol-QM, Molecular Diversity and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory), Chemistry Institute, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Gradução em Química (PPGQ), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Larissa de Almeida Peixoto Ferreira
- Laboratório de Diversidade Molecular e Química Medicinal (LaDMol-QM, Molecular Diversity and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory), Chemistry Institute, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Gradução em Química (PPGQ), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Renata Barbosa Lacerda
- Laboratório de Diversidade Molecular e Química Medicinal (LaDMol-QM, Molecular Diversity and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory), Chemistry Institute, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Gradução em Química (PPGQ), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Cedric Stephan Graebin
- Laboratório de Diversidade Molecular e Química Medicinal (LaDMol-QM, Molecular Diversity and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory), Chemistry Institute, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Gradução em Química (PPGQ), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Arthur Eugen Kümmerle
- Laboratório de Diversidade Molecular e Química Medicinal (LaDMol-QM, Molecular Diversity and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory), Chemistry Institute, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Gradução em Química (PPGQ), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
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Ling Y, Shi J, Ma Q, Yang Q, Rong Y, He J, Chen M. Vasodilatory Effect of Guanxinning Tablet on Rabbit Thoracic Aorta is Modulated by Both Endothelium-Dependent and -Independent Mechanism. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:754527. [PMID: 34925014 PMCID: PMC8672209 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.754527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vasodilatory therapy plays an important role in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, especially hypertension and coronary heart disease. Previous research found that Guanxinning tablet (GXNT), a traditional Chinese compound preparation composed of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) and Ligusticum chuanxiong (Chuanxiong), increase blood flow in the arteries, but whether vasodilation plays a role in this effect remains unclear. Here, we found that GXNT significantly alleviated the vasoconstriction of isolated rabbit thoracic aorta induced by phenylephrine (PE), norepinephrine (NE), and KCl in a dose-dependent manner with or without endothelial cells (ECs). Changes in calcium ion levels in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) showed that both intracellular calcium release and extracellular calcium influx through receptor-dependent calcium channel (ROC) declined with GXNT treatment. Experiments to examine potassium channels suggested that endothelium-denuded vessels were also regulated by calcium-activated potassium channels (Kca) and ATP-related potassium channels (KATP) but not voltage-gated potassium channels (kv) and inward rectifying potassium channels (KIR). For endothelium-intact vessels, the nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) contents in vascular tissue obviously increased after GXNT treatment, and pretreatment with the NO synthase inhibitor Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or guanylyl cyclase inhibitor methylthionine chloride (MB) significantly inhibited vasodilation. An assessment of NO-related pathway protein expression revealed that GXNT enhanced the expression of phosphorylated endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in a dose-dependent manner but had no effect on total eNOS, p-Akt, Akt, or PI3K levels in human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs). In addition to PI3K/AKT signaling, Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) signaling is a major signal transduction pathway involved in eNOS activation in ECs. Further results showed that free calcium ion levels were decreased in HUVECs with GXNT treatment, accompanied by an increase in p-CaMKII expression, implying an increase in the Ca2+/CaM-Ca2+/CaMKII cascade. Taken together, these findings suggest that the GXNT may have exerted their vasodilative effect by activating the endothelial CaMKII/eNOS signaling pathway in endothelium-intact rings and calcium-related ion channels in endothelium-denuded vessels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ling
- Animal Experimental Research Center, Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiajun Shi
- Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Quanxin Ma
- Animal Experimental Research Center, Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qinqin Yang
- Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yili Rong
- Animal Experimental Research Center, Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiangmin He
- The Department of Medicine, Chiatai Qingchunbao Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China
| | - Minli Chen
- Animal Experimental Research Center, Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.,Laboratory of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Circulatory Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
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