title: Gualou Xiebai decoction inhibits cardiac dysfunction and inflammation in cardiac fibrosis rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gualou Xiebai Decoction (GXD) is a well-known traditional Chinese recipe. It has been used to treat cardiovascular disorders for nearly two thousand years. But there is a lack of reports on cardiac fibrosis and underlying mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Myocardial infarction was performed by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in male Wistar rats. Rats with myocardial infarction were treated with GXD (1.14 g/kg, 4.53 g/kg) daily for 4 weeks. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography. Hemodynamic parameters and infarct size were measured in each group. Myocardial enzymes were examined by biochemical tests. Inflammatory cytokines were assessed by ELISA, and interrelated proteins were detected by western blot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cardiac function was significantly improved in GXD-treatment rats after myocardial infarction (MI), which was accompanied with decreased infarct size. Administration of GXD to myocardial fibrosis rats significantly ameliorated the activities of AST, LDH and CK-MB in serum. The increase in inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β) were markedly reduced upon GXD treatment. Furthermore, the inflammatory mediators (NF-κB p65, TNF-α, MCP-1) were down-regulated by GXD in the myocardial fibrosis rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment with GXD improved cardiac function induced by myocardial fibrosis by inhibiting expression of inflammatory mediators associated with NF-κB.
authors: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China. Yongfangding@gmail.com.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China. Yongfangding@gmail.com.
authors: Yong-fang
authors: YF
authors: Ding
authors: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China.
authors: Yun-ru
authors: YR
authors: Peng
authors: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China.
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Shen
authors: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China.
authors: Luan
authors: L
authors: Shu
authors: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China.
authors: Ying-jie
authors: YJ
authors: Wei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; C488004:gualou xiebai baijiutang