Protective Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Ischemic Myocardium by Mitochondrial Autophagy / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Ischemic heart disease is one of the most deadly diseases in the world, and new therapies and preventive measures are urgently needed. In general, cardiomyocytes rely on adenosine triphosphate(ATP) produced by mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to maintain their systolic and ion pump functions. Autophagy is a procedural degradation mechanism widely present in eukaryotic cells. It is a self-defense mechanism and self-repair process of the body tissues. It is also a way of apoptosis and a basic phenomenon to maintain the energy balance of human cells. Mitochondrial autophagy is a type of selective autophagy in cells. In fact, damaged mitochondria selectively remove damaged proteins and organelles with autophagy to maintain intracellular homeostasis. Mitochondrial autophagy is important for maintaining the homeostasis of cardiomyocytes. With the deepening of modern biological research, more and more traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) or their extracts have been proven to alleviate myocardial cell damage after ischemia/reperfusion through autophagy or regulation of mitochondrial function. This further inspires TCM workers to find effective treatment measures by targeting mitochondria. Under the above background, this paper reviews the effects of mitochondrial autophagy on ischemic heart disease and the intervention studies of TCM in this field.