Effects of Tongxinluo on High Glucose-induced Proliferation and Apoptosis of Cardiac Fibroblasts / 中国医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective This study investigated the effect of tongxinluo (TXL) on high glucose-induced proliferation and apoptosis of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs),to explore the possible mechanism by which TXL inhibits myocardial fibrosis. Methods Primary culture and subculture of neonatal SD rat CFs was carried out as follows. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to identify CFs. The CFs were divided into control group (cultured with low-glucose DMEM),model group (cultured with high-glucose DMEM),and TXL treatment groups (cultured with high-glucose DMEM+TXL at 20,80,and 320 μg/mL). The proliferation of CFs in each group was detected by MTT assay. The expression of collagen typesⅠand Ⅲ in each group was detected by ELISA. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of bax and bcl-2 in each group. Results CFs Proliferation and collagen typesⅠandⅢsecretion were higher in the model group than in the control group. The CFs proliferation and collagen content in the TXL treatment groups were significantly lower than those in the model group. bcl-2 expression was significantly increased and bax expression was decreased in the model group,compared with the corresponding values in the control group. In comparison with the model group,bcl-2 expression was downregulated and bax expression was upregulated in the TXL treatment groups. Conclusion TXL can reduce the CFs proliferation and inhibit their collagen secretion under high glucose conditions. TXL also induces the CFs apoptosis by reducing bcl-2 expression and increasing bax expression. Thus,TXL can play a role in the treatment of myocardial fibrosis.