Role and Mechanism of Chinese Medicinal Materials and Their Compound Formulas with Effects of Replenishing Qi， Activating Blood， and Dispelling Stasis in Prevention and Treatment of Heart Failure / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Heart failure with high prevalence is the endpoint of many cardiovascular diseases. Once diagnosed， patients usually need lifelong medication， which seriously affects their quality of life. The drugs commonly used to treat heart failure include angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors， beta-blockers， aldosterone receptor antagonists， and diuretics. However， the long-term use of those drugs can lead to side effects such as hypotension， depletion of body fluid， and electrolyte imbalance and even increase mortality. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， Qi deficiency and blood stagnation is the major cause of heart failure and when Qi is not moving， blood is not flowing. Therefore， the TCM clinical treatment of heart failure uses the Chinese medicinal materials which replenish Qi， activate blood， and dispell stasis to treat both internal cause and external symptoms. Recent studies have demonstrated that Chinese herbal medicines such as Astragali Radix， Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma， Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma， Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， Angelicae Sinensis Radix， as well as the compound formulas such as Buyang Huanwutang， Simiao Yongantang， Qili Qiangxin capsules， and Qishen Yiqi drops， play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of heart failure via replenishing Qi， activating blood， and dispelling stasis. Inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses， mitigation of myocardial fibrosis， improvement of calcium cycling， and protection of mitochondrial function represent the key mechanisms for the treatment of heart failure with Chinese medicinal materials. Focusing on the pathogenic mechanisms and signaling pathways of heart failure， this paper systematically describes the pharmacological effects， molecular mechanisms， and research progress in the clinical application of Chinese medicinal herbs with effects of replenishing Qi， activating blood， and dispelling stasis and their compound formulas in the prevention and treatment of heart failure， aiming to provide scientific evidence for the development and clinical use of anti-heart failure Chinese medicinal materials.