Effect and mechanism of leonurine on pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the effects of leonurine(Leo) on abdominal aortic constriction(AAC)-induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats and its mechanism. A rat model of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy was established by AAC method. After 27-d intervention with high-dose(30 mg·kg~(-1)) and low-dose(15 mg·kg~(-1)) Leo or positive control drug losartan(5 mg·kg~(-1)), the cardiac function was evaluated by hemodynamic method, followed by the recording of left ventricular systolic pressure(LVSP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure(LVESP), as well as the maximum rate of increase and decrease in left ventricular pressure(±dp/dt_(max)). The degree of left ventricular hypertrophy was assessed based on heart weight index(HWI) and left ventricular mass index(LVWI). Myocardial tissue changes and the myocardial cell diameter(MD) were measured after hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The contents of angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ) and angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 receptor(AT1 R) in myocardial tissue were detected by ELISA. The level of Ca~(2+) in myocardial tissue was determined by colorimetry. The protein expression levels of phospholipase C(PLC), inositol triphosphate(IP3), AngⅡ, and AT1 R were assayed by Western blot. Real-time quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR) was employed to determine the mRNA expression levels of β-myosin heavy chain(β-MHC), atrial natriuretic factor(ANF), AngⅡ, and AT1 R. Compared with the model group, Leo decreased the LVSP, LVEDP, HWI, LVWI and MD values, but increased ±dp/dt_(max) of the left ventricle. Meanwhile, it improved the pathological morphology of myocardial tissue, reduced cardiac hypertrophy, edema, and inflammatory cell infiltration, decreased the protein expression levels of PLC, IP3, AngⅡ, AT1 R, as well as the mRNA expression levels of β-MHC, ANF, AngⅡ, AT1 R, c-fos, and c-Myc in myocardial tissue. Leo inhibited AAC-induced cardiac hypertrophy possibly by influencing the RAS system.

The protective effects of leonurine against acute endotoxin induced uveitis in rats / 复旦学报（医学版）

Objective To investigate whether the protective effects of leonurine (SCM-198) against endotoxin induced uveitis (EIU) of SD rats caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was existing,and discuss the underlying mechanisms.Methods Thirty-six normal healthy male SD rats were divided into 3 groups randomly with the same baseline bodyweight and feeding conditions.All rats received intragastric administration every day.The experimental group was devided into 4 subgroups,rats in these subgroups received SCM-198 intragastric administration by as the dose of 10,20,40 and 80 mg/kg bodyweight per day,rats in the negative control group received intragastric administration of normal saline 10 mL/kg per day,rats in the positive control group received intragastric administration ofdexamethasone (DEX) 0.5 mg/kg bodyweight per day.All rats received a 21-day-intragastric administration.The body weight of all rats was monitored every 7 days.The electroretinogram (ERG) examination was taken in the 18th day.All rats received a 100 mg S.typhi LPS intraperitoneal injection after the 21st intragastric administration.Twenty-four hours later,following anaesthesia,all rats received another ERG examination,and inflammation was scoring under microscope by 2 experienced ophthalmologists,after that the aqueous humor of all rats was collected from the left eye.The aqueous humor was kept in-80 ℃ immediately.Then the rats were sacrificed and the right eyes were immediately enucleated to finish the HE staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining examination of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1).The total amount of protein in aqueous humor was detected by BCA test.Western blot was used to examine the expression of TNF-α,interleukin-1β (IL-1β),IL-6 and ICAM-1.All data was analyzed by SPSS 19.0,and differences were considered significant at P＜0.05.Results The body weight of the rats in positive control group was significantly lower (P＜0.05) than the experimental group and the negative control group after the 21-day-intragastric administration.The inflammatory score of experimental group was lower than that of the negative control group,but higher than the score of positive control group.The HE staining sections showed the similar results.The a wave of ERG in 0.01 cd of rats received 20 mg/kg SCM-198 daily intragastric administration after LPS injection was significantly lower than that before the LPS injection (P＜0.05),also lower than other groups after LPS injection.The expression of TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-1β in the aqueous humor of the rats in the subgroup of SCM-198 10 mg/kg daily intragastric administration was lower than other groups.Conclusions Intragastric administration of SCM-198 has protective effect against endotoxin induced uveitis in SD rats without obvious adverse reaction,which could alleviate the imflammatory reaction and the damage to the uvea construction.NF-κB plays an important role in the reaction.Thus,SCM-198 is a candidate potent compound with potential therapeutic applications in inflammation associated eye diseases.While the best mode and dose of administration should be further investigated.

More than a "mother-benefiting" herb: cardioprotective effect of Herba leonuri / 生理学报

Herba leonuri (HL) is a famous Chinese traditional medicine with long history. Recent studies have shown that the effects of HL are versatile. In addition to its activating effect on blood flow which has been widely used in gynecological and obstetrical disorders, HL has been demonstrated to have beneficial effects on ischemic diseases including myocardial infarction (MI). Experimental studies have shown that HL ameliorated myocardial ischemia, increased coronary blood flow, and improved heart functions. The underlying mechanism is proved to be its antioxidant effects including scavenging free radicals and inhibiting the formation of reactive oxygen species in ischemic myocardium. The antioxidant effects of HL are exerted only under the condition of oxidative stress. A significant angiogenesis promoting effect is also counted for its cardioprotective effects. Clinic trials also indicated that HL could inhibit blood platelet congregating, resist coagulation, restrain thrombosis, and improve hemorheology in patients with coronary heart diseases. This paper gives a brief review on HLos cardioprotective effects based on recent research progress.