Efficacy and mechanism of Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction on model rats of coronary heart disease with heart blood stasis syndrome based on metabolomics / 中国中药杂志

This study investigated the effects of Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction on myocardial metabolites in a rat model of coronary heart disease with heart blood stasis syndrome and explored the therapeutic mechanism of blood circulation-promoting and blood stasis-removing therapy. SD rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a model group, a Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction group(14.04 g·kg~(-1)), and a trimetazidine group(5.4 mg·kg~(-1)). The sham operation group underwent thread insertion without ligation, while the other groups underwent coronary artery left anterior descending branch ligation to induce a model of coronary heart disease with heart blood stasis syndrome. Three days after modeling, drug intervention was performed, and samples were taken after 14 days of intervention. General conditions were observed, and electrocardiogram and cardiac ultrasound indices were measured. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and Masson staining were used to observe tissue pathological morphology. The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure the levels of triglyceride(TG) and total cholesterol(TC) in the serum. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quantitative exactive-mass spectrometry(UHPLC-QE-MS) technology was used to screen differential metabolites in myocardial tissue and conduct metabolic pathway enrichment analysis. The results showed that Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction significantly improved the general condition of the model rats, reduced heart rate and ST segment elevation in the electrocardiogram, increased left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS), and decreased left ventricular internal diameter in diastole(LVIDd) and left ventricular internal diameter in systole(LVIDs). HE staining and Masson staining showed that Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction effectively alleviated myocardial tissue structural disorders, inflammatory cell infiltration, and collagen fiber deposition in the model rats. ELISA results showed that Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction effectively regulated serum TG and TC levels in the model rats. There were significant differences in the metabolic phenotypes of myocardial samples in each group. Fourteen differential metabolites were identified in the Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction group, involving five metabolic pathways, including arginine and proline metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, ether lipid metabolism, and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism. Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction improved cardiac function and myocardial structural damage in the rat model of coronary heart disease with heart blood stasis syndrome, and its biological mechanism involved the regulation of lipid metabolism, choline metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and protein synthesis pathways.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention of Ferroptosis Based on Yin-yang Theory： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Ferroptosis， a new type of iron-dependent programmed cell death， is related to multiple pathways such as glutathione/glutathione peroxidase 4， iron metabolism， lipid metabolism， and iron autophagy， and plays an important part in the occurrence and development of many diseases， such as tumor， cerebral ischemia， and Parkinson's disease. Ferroptosis is a double-edged sword as it can eliminate pathological cells （such as tumor cells） but long-term ferroptosis may cause or aggravate other disorders related to abnormal lipid metabolism and iron metabolism. Regulating the balance between cell proliferation and ferroptosis may be an important target for drug intervention in diseases. The Yin-yang theory is one of the foundational principles of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， which is used to explain the physiological functions and pathological changes of human body and to guide the diagnosis and prevention of disease and health care. The balance of cell proliferation and programmed death is essentially the balance of Yin and Yang at the cellular level， which is governed and regulated by the law of balance. TCM intervenes in ferroptosis by promoting ferroptosis of tumor cells （damaging the excess） and inhibiting ferroptosis of other diseases （compensating the deficiency）， which is similar to the treatment principle of adjusting Yin and Yang. On this basis， this article aims to use the Yin-yang theory to clarify the relationship between TCM promoting ferroptosis and inhibiting ferroptosis， which is expected to lay a basis for the modern application of Yin-yang theory and provide new targets for TCM treatment.