ABSTRACT
Diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM) is a specific cardiac complication of diabetes, which occurs independently of coronary artery disease, hypertension or valvular heart disease. Although diabetic cardiomyopathy is increasingly recognized, the underlying mechanisms are still under controversial. Recently, the putative pathological mechanism involves hyperglycemia, protein nonenzymatic glycosylation, oxidative stress, abnormal calcium ion transport, etc. Inflammation is an independent risk factor for left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. NLRP3 inflammation is the most common inflammasome, which can secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-18, and mediate pyroptosis after activated. It manifests a high level of NLRP3 inflammasomes in DCM animal model, which aggravates the damage of pancreatic β-cell function, myocardial injury and the process of myocardial fibrosis. It has been confirmed that Chinese herbal medicine can affect the initiation and activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes, as well as the expression of downstream genes, and then improve the cardiac function of diabetic cardiomyopathy. In this paper, we have summarized the involvement of NLRP3 inflammasomes in the process of diabetic cardiomyopathy and the therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicine.