title: Hydroxysafflor yellow A attenuates left ventricular remodeling after pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), the main chemical component of the safflower yellow pigments, is used extensively in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study determined the effects of HSYA on left ventricular hypertrophy after pressure overload and investigated the underlying mechanisms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiac hypertrophy was induced by the ligation of abdominal aorta in male Wistar rats. The rats were then divided into five groups and treated with captopril (100 mg/kg) or HSYA at different doses (0, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg). Six weeks after treatment, the weight of left ventricle, LVMI (left ventricular mass index) and pathological changes were measured. MMP-2 (metalloproteinase 2) and MMP-9 (metalloproteinase 9) levels were determined by ELISA. Protein expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax were evaluated by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HSYA (20, 40 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the increase of LVMI (ventricular weight/body weight) by 13.04 and 30.43% respectively, when compared with the model group. This was associated with the amelioration of pathological lesion, such as cardiac muscle fibers were smaller and the nuclei of cardiomyocytes were lightly stained in animals treated with HSYA (20, 40 mg/kg). In addition, the administration of HSYA at doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio (1.17 ± 0.08 and 1.39 ± 0.07 versus 0.71 ± 0.06). In addition, the serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels were blocked by the treatment at doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg HSYA (MMP-2, 76.1 ± 9.2 and 65.6 ± 6.8 versus 82.9 ± 6.2, ng/ml; MMP-9, 66.6 ± 4.8 and 57.5 ± 5.0 versus 83.5 ± 6.0, ng/ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicated that HSYA has beneficial effects on hypertensive ventricular remodeling, which may involve mechanisms of inhibiting cell apoptosis and suppressing metalloproteinases expression.
authors.affiliation: Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital , Yantai, Shandong 264000 , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiuhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.forename: Xiuzhen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002216:Captopril / Q000494:pharmacology; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D031187:Carthamus tinctorius / Q000737:chemistry*; D002599:Chalcone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011809:Quinones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D011809:Quinones; C085278:hydroxysafflor yellow A; D002599:Chalcone; D002216:Captopril; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9