Function of Autophagy in Development of Chronic Heart Failure Based on Theory of Healthy Qi and Pathogenic Qi / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Chronic heart failure is a serious heart disease with dyspnea and limited activity tolerance as the main clinical manifestations. Autophagy is a self-protection mechanism in eukaryotic cells and plays an important role in the development of heart failure. Appropriately increasing the level of autophagy during the compensated stage of heart failure and timely removal of necrotic myocardial organelles and other harmful garbage can inhibit myocardial hypertrophy to a certain extent，alleviate myocardial remodeling，and delay heart failure. The theory of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi is an important basic theory for explaining the occurrence of diseases，and struggle between healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi exists in the entire onset of chronic heart failure，which may lead to pathogenic Qi invasion and healthy Qi deficiency. The regulatory effect of autophagy on cardiomyocytes is similar to the theory of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Autophagy is the body's self-regulatory mechanism for healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi in a dose-effect manner，Specifically，autophagy can only protect the body's cells to a certain extent，and healthy Qi can only take effect within a certain range and degree. To protect the body from external pathogenic factors，excessive or insufficient autophagy may destroy the stability of the body's environment. In this regard，we use the theory of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi as a starting point to clarify the function of autophagy in the development of chronic heart failure from a macro and micro perspective，and propose adjusting the balance of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi in the body to regulate the autophagy of cardiomyocytes. The principle of prevention and treatment is expected to lay the foundation for modern research on the function of autophagy in the development of chronic heart failure in TCM，find novel therapy for chronic heart failure at different stages，and provide new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of chronic heart failure.