Cardio-Protection of Salvianolic Acid B through Inhibition of Apoptosis Network

Targeting cellular function as a system rather than on the level of the single target significantly increases therapeutic potency. In the present study, we detect the target pathway of salvianolic acid B (SalB) in vivo. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was induced in rats followed by the treatment with 10 mg/kg SalB. Hemodynamic detection and pathological stain, 2-dimensional electrophoresis, MALDI-TOF MS/MS, Western blot, pathway identification, apoptosis assay and transmission electron microscope were used to elucidate the effects and mechanism of SalB on cardioprotection. Higher SalB concentration was found in ischemic area compared to no-ischemic area of heart, correlating with improved heart function and histological structure. Thirty-three proteins regulated by SalB in AMI rats were identified by biochemical analysis and were classified as the components of metabolism and apoptosis networks. SalB protected cardiomyocytes from apoptosis, inhibited poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 pathway, and improved the integrity of mitochondrial and nucleus of heart tissue during AMI. Furthermore, the protective effects of SalB against apoptosis were verified in H9c2 cells. Our results provide evidence that SalB regulates multi-targets involved in the apoptosis pathway during AMI and therefore may be a candidate for novel therapeutics of heart diseases

Effect of EGFR-TKI on Lymphangiogenesis of Lung Cancer with EGFR Mutation

Background and objective This study aims to explore the effect of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKIs) on the lymphangiogenesis of lung cancer with EGFR mutation, as well as to determine the function of EGFR targeted therapy in relation to the inhibition of lymphangiogenesis during lung cancer treatment. Methods The EGFR double mutant lung cancer cell line NCI-H1975 is used to construct lung cancer xenograft models. The models are divided into two groups: the solvent control group and the EGFR-TKI treatment group. Each group includes five mice. The inhibitory effect of EGFR-TKI on the growth of transplanted tumors was observed. Immunohistochemical method and lymphatic endothelium specific antibody D2-40 were used in the experiment to observe the influence of EGFR-TKI on lymphangiogenesis in lung cancer. Results The weight and relative volume of tumors in the EGFR-TKI treated group were less than those in the solvent control group. The average lymphatic vessel density of EGFR-TKI-treated mice was 6.44 per case. This value was 10.70 per case in the solvent control group. Lower density of lymphangiogenesis was found in the EGFR-TKI treated group (P=0.023). The area and longest diameter of neonatal lymphatic vessel of the EGFR-TKI treated group were less than those of the solvent control group. Moreover, EGFR-TKI exhibited no significant effect on the invasion of tumor cells into the lymphatic vessel (P=0.519). Conclusion EGFR-TKI can inhibit lymphangiogenesis in EGFR mutant lung cancer while suppressing vessel diameter and expansion area

Ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1, in combination with salvianolic acid B, play different roles in myocardial infarction in rats

Background: The herb pair of Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax notoginseng has widely been used for improving coronary and cerebral circulation in China. However, the exact contribution of the major active components of S. miltiorrhiza and P. notoginseng to cardioprotection is far from clear. In the present study, three representative ingredients, salvianolic acid B (SalB) from S. miltiorrhiza and ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) and ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1) from P. notoginseng, were selected to elucidate the mechanism of the herb pair at the ingredient level. Methods: The purity of SalB, Rg1, and Rb1 was >99%, as detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. Acute myocardial infarction was introduced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery near the main pulmonary artery. Cardiac contractility was detected through a Mikro-tipped catheter, and cardiac infarct size was determined using triphenyltetrazolium chloride stain. Results: The combination of SalB and Rg1, and not the combination of SalB and Rb1, improved heart contractility in rats with myocardial infarction. The different contributions of Rg1 and Rb1, in combination with SalB, to cardioprotection provides further direction to optimize and modernize the herbal medicines containing S. miltiorrhiza and P. notoginseng. Conclusion: The combination of SalB and Rg1 may provide potential protection against myocardial infarction

The protective effects of ginsenoside Rg1 against hypertension target-organ damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Abstract Background Although a number of medicines are available for the management of hypertension, the organ damage induced by hypertension is not resolved. The aim of this study was to investigate the protection of ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) against vascular remodeling and organ damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods Male SHR were treated with 5, 10 or 20 mg/kg Rg1 through intraperitoneal injection per day for 1 month. SHR or Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) receiving vehicle (saline) was used as control. Blood pressure detection and pathological stain, transmission electron microscope, immunohistochemical assay were used to elucidate the protection of Rg1. Results Blood pressures were not different between control SHR rats and Rg1 treated SHR rats, but Rg1 improved the aortic outward remodeling by lowering the lumen diameter and reducing the media thickness according the histopathological and ultrastructural detections. Rg1 also protected the retinal vessels against inward remodeling detected by immunohistochemical assay. Furthermore, Rg1 attenuated the target heart and kidney damage with improvement on cardiac and glomerular structure. Conclusions These results suggested that Rg1 held beneficial effects on vascular structure and further protected against the organ-damage induced by hypertension. These findings also paved a novel and promising approach to the treatment of hypertensive complications.</p

The Safety Evaluation of Salvianolic Acid B and Ginsenoside Rg1 Combination on Mice

Our previous study indicated that the combination of salvianolic acid B (SalB) and ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), the main components of Salvia miltiorrhizae and Panax notoginseng, improves myocardium structure and ventricular function in rats with ischemia/reperfusion injury. The present study aimed to determine the safety of the combined SalB and Rg1 (SalB-Rg1) in mice. The safety of SalB-Rg1 was evaluated through acute toxicity and repeated-dose toxicity. In the acute toxicity study, the up and down procedure was carried out firstly, and then, the Bliss method was applied. In the toxicity study for seven-day repeated treatment of SalB-Rg1, forty Kunming mice were randomly divided into four groups. The intravenous median lethal dose (LD50) of the SalB-Rg1 combination was 1747 mg/kg using the Bliss method. For both the acute toxicity study and the seven-day repeated toxicity study, SalB-Rg1 did not induce significant abnormality on brain, heart, kidney, liver and lung structure at any dose based on H&amp;E stain. There were no significant changes related to the SalB-Rg1 toxicity detected on biochemical parameters for two kinds of toxicity studies. The LD50 in mice was 1747 mg/kg, which was more than one hundred times higher than the effective dose. Both studies of acute toxicity and seven-day repeated dose toxicity indicated the safety of the SalB-Rg1 combination

Combined Salvianolic Acid B and Ginsenoside Rg1 Exerts Cardioprotection against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats

<div><p>Lack of pharmacological strategies in clinics restricts the patient prognosis with myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardioprotection of combined salvianolic acid B (SalB) and ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) against myocardial I/R injury and further investigate the underlying mechanism. I/R injury was induced by coronary artery ligation for Wistar male rats and hypoxia/reoxygenation injury was induced on H9c2 cells. Firstly, the best ratio between SalB and Rg1was set as 2:5 based on their effects on heart function detected by hemodynamic measurement. Then SalB-Rg1 (2:5) was found to maintain mitochondrial membrane potential and resist apoptosis and necrosis in H9c2 cell with hypoxia/reoxygenation injury. Companying with same dose of SalB or Rg1 only, SalB-Rg1 showed more significant effects on down-regulation of myocardial infarct size, maintenance of myocardium structure, improvement on cardiac function, decrease of cytokine secretion including TNF-α, IL-1β, RANTES and sVCAM-1. Finally, the SalB-Rg1 improved the viability of cardiac myocytes other than cardiac fibroblasts in rats with I/R injury using flow cytometry. Our results revealed that SalB-Rg1 was a promising strategy to prevent myocardial I/R injury.</p></div

Salvianolic Acid A, a Novel Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Inhibitor, Prevents Cardiac Remodeling in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

<div><p>Cardiac fibrosis is a deleterious consequence of hypertension which may further advance to heart failure and increased matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) contributes to the underlying mechanism. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies to attenuate the effects of MMP-9 are urgently needed. In the present study, we characterize salvianolic acid A (SalA) as a novel MMP-9 inhibitor at molecular, cellular and animal level. We expressed a truncated form of MMP-9 which contains only the catalytic domain (MMP-9 CD), and used this active protein for enzymatic kinetic analysis and Biacore detection. Data generated from these assays indicated that SalA functioned as the strongest competitive inhibitor of MMP-9 among 7 phenolic acids from <i>Salvia miltiorrhiza</i>. In neonatal cardiac fibroblast, SalA inhibited fibroblast migration, blocked myofibroblast transformation, inhibited secretion of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) as well as collagen induced by MMP-9 CD. Functional effects of SalA inhibition on MMP-9 was further confirmed in cultured cardiac H9c2 cell overexpressing MMP-9 <i>in vitro</i> and in heart of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) <i>in vivo</i>. Moreover, SalA treatment in SHR resulted in decreased heart fibrosis and attenuated heart hypertrophy. These results indicated that SalA is a novel inhibitor of MMP-9, thus playing an inhibitory role in hypertensive fibrosis. Further studies to develop SalA and its analogues for their potential clinical application of cardioprotection are warranted.</p> </div

SalB-Rg1 protected H9c2 cells against apoptosis and necrosis.

<p>(A) The protection of SalB-Rg1 against H9c2 apoptosis was detected by mitochondrial depolarization using JC-1 stain. (B) Quantification of the ratio for JC-1 multimer to JC-1 monomer fluorescence intensity (red:green). (C) The apoptosis or necrosis of H9c2 cell was evaluated using Annexin V-FITC/PI Apoptosis Detection Kit. Apoptotic cells were stained green (Annexin V-FITC) and necrosis cells were stained red (PI). At least three time experiments were repeated and the representative figures were shown.</p