Heart Protection by Herb Formula BanXia BaiZhu TianMa Decoction in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Jiaye Jiang; Dan Huang; Yuan Li; Zhongyuan Gan; Hanqing Li; Xindan Li; Ka Bian; Yan Ke

doi:10.1155/2019/5612929

Heart Protection by Herb Formula BanXia BaiZhu TianMa Decoction in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Nov 16:2019:5612929. doi: 10.1155/2019/5612929. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Jiaye Jiang^{1

2}, Dan Huang¹, Yuan Li¹, Zhongyuan Gan¹, Hanqing Li¹, Xindan Li¹, Ka Bian³, Yan Ke¹

Affiliations

¹ Teaching Experimental Center, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China.
² School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Rood, Shanghai 201203, China.
³ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.

Abstract

Modern research has shown that BanXia BaiZhu TianMa decoction (BBT) has the potential effect of lowering BP in vitro and in vivo. However, its therapeutic mechanism has not been clearly defined. The present study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of BBT on the heart by examining heart functioning and anti-inflammatory characteristics and to obtain scientific evidence for its further medical applications. BBT was extracted by decocting the herb extraction and analysed by HPLC. The left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was measured, and a histological examination of samples of the heart was performed. Inflammatory status was investigated by measuring tissue levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and molecules of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway. The BBT treatment significantly reversed the course of hypertension-derived heart damage. Meanwhile, the herb formula markedly reduced levels of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and iNOS. In addition, the traditional compound suppressed the activity of the NF-κB pathway. The present study provides evidence of heart protection by BBT in SHRs. The action mechanisms may be partially attributable to the anti-inflammatory characteristic of the formula. Understanding the pharmacological action of BBT will benefit its impending use.