title: Astragalosides rescue both cardiac function and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ transport in rats with chronic heart failure.
abstract: The study investigated the beneficial effects of astragalosides (AS) on cardiac performance in rats with chronic heart failure. Chronic heart failure was produced by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation, and the therapeutic efficacy of astragalosides at 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg was evaluated. Five weeks after the operation, cardiac function was deficient and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA) activity was significantly reduced. Moreover, SERCA mRNA decreased, while expression of the SERCA down-regulator phospholamban (PLB) was significantly increased. Phosphorylated phospholamban (P-PLB), the form that does not inhibit SERCA, was also reduced by chronic heart failure. Treatment with AS improved left ventricle function and cardiac structure, reversed the depression of SERCA activity, and increased P-PLB. These results suggest that the cardioprotective effect of AS may be due to the increase in P-PLB protein, which disinhibits SERCA activity. Rescue of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ cycling by astragalosides could normalize excitation-contraction coupling and improve overall cardiac function.
authors.affiliation: TCM Research Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yansu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Yongfa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiumei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D027883:Astragalus Plant / Q000737:chemistry; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012503:Saponins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000378:metabolism; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects; D000099211:Phospholamban
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D012503:Saponins; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D000099211:Phospholamban