Key result
Astragali Radix prevents isoproterenol-induced myocardial damage in rats by improving antioxidant status and Ca2+ regulation.
Why the study?
Does Astragali Radix prevent isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury in rats?
Does Astragali Radix prevent isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury in rats?
Astragali Radix demonstrates cardioprotective effects against isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury in rats, potentially mediated through antioxidant properties and the cAMP pathway regulating calcium handling proteins.
Hypothesis-generating in rat models; human trials needed before any clinical consideration.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of the Chinese medical herb Astragali Radix on myocardial injury in vivo and its possible mechanisms. Myocardial injury in rats was induced by the subcutaneous injection of a high dose of isoproterenol for 10 days, and the therapeutic effects of Astragali Radix were observed. Cardiac hemodynamics, heart coefficient and marker enzymes in serum showed that Astragali Radix prevented isoproterenol-induced myocardial damage. Astragali Radix also improved the antioxidant status by decreasing the lipid peroxidative product malondialdehyde and increasing the activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. The observed depressions in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase mRNA and protein expression as well as Ser(16)-phosphorylated phospholamban protein expression in isoproterenol-treated rats were attenuated by Astragali Radix treatment. Moreover, treatment with Astragali Radix showed higher myocardial cAMP content compared with the isoproterenol-alone group. These results suggest that the antioxidant property and partial prevention of changes in protein and gene expression of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ regulatory proteins which may be mediated through the cAMP pathway could help to explain the beneficial effects of Astragali Radix on myocardial injury in vivo.
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Xu et al. (2007) studied Isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury. Astragali Radix vs. Isoproterenol-alone was evaluated on Myocardial damage (cardiac hemodynamics, heart coefficient, marker enzymes, antioxidant status, and protein expression). Astragali Radix prevented isoproterenol-induced myocardial damage in rats by improving antioxidant status and attenuating depressions in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ regulatory proteins.