Shenfu Injection attenuates rat myocardial hypertrophy by up-regulating miR-19a-3p expression

Sci Rep. 2018 Mar 16;8(1):4660. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23137-4.

Abstract

Shenfu Injection (SFI) is a classical Chinese medicine used to treat heart failure. Our previous study demonstrated that miRNAs underwent changes in rats with myocardial hypertrophy induced by abdominal aortic constriction. Interestingly, there was a significant change in miR-19a-3p, whose target gene is known to be associated with MEF2 signaling. However, whether and how SFI regulates miR-19a-3p in the treatment of myocardial hypertrophy has not been investigated. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the regulatory effect of SFI on miR-19a-3p in MEF2 signaling in the rat hypertrophic myocardium. We found that the miR-19a-3p expression level was significantly decreased in the hypertrophic myocardium, and MEF2A was the target gene of miR-19a-3p. The protein expressions of MEF2A, β-MHC, BNP and TRPC1 were significantly increased in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes. MiR-19a-3p was up-regulated after SFI treatment, and the protein expressions of these genes were significantly decreased. In addition, miR-19a-3p over-expression in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes could decrease MEF2A mRNA and protein expressions, and anti-miR-19a-3p showed the opposite result. Our study provided substantial evidence that miR-19a-3p played a functional role in MEF2 signaling in myocardial hypertrophy. SFI attenuated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy probably through up-regulating or maintaining the miR-19a-3p levels and regulating the MEF2 signaling pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • Animals
  • Cardiomegaly / drug therapy*
  • Cardiomegaly / genetics
  • Cardiomegaly / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / administration & dosage*
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / pharmacology
  • Gene Expression Profiling / methods
  • Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects
  • Injections
  • MEF2 Transcription Factors / genetics
  • MEF2 Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • MicroRNAs / genetics*
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / methods
  • Rats
  • Signal Transduction
  • Up-Regulation*

Substances

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • MEF2 Transcription Factors
  • MEF2A protein, rat
  • MIRN19 microRNA, rat
  • MicroRNAs
  • Shen-Fu