Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases are the principal cause of death worldwide. The potentially serious adverse effects of therapeutic drugs lead to growing awareness of the role of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Chinese herbal medicine has been widely used in many countries especially in China from antiquity; however, the mechanisms by which herbal medicine acts in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases are far from clear. In this review, we briefly describe the characteristics of Chinese herbal medicine by comparing with western medicine. Then we summarize the formulae and herbs/natural products applied in the clinic and animal studies being sorted according to the specific cardiovascular diseases. Most importantly, we elaborate the existing investigations into mechanisms by which herbal compounds act at the cellular levels, including vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes and immune cells. Future research should focus on well-designed clinic trial, in-depth mechanic study, investigations on side effects of herbs and drug interactions. Studies on developing new agents with effectiveness and safety from traditional Chinese medicine is a promising way for prevention and treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases.
Highlights
Reviewed by: He-Hui Xie, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China Bin Geng, Peking University First Hospital, China
Treatment with Astragaloside IV led to an increase in the mRNA and/or protein levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), mitochondrial transcription factor A, parkin and dynamin1-like protein1 in the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). These results indicate that Astragaloside IV exerts beneficial effects on AngII-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in rat VSMCs and that these effects are mediated through the inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, as well as the promotion of mitochondrial autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis (Lu et al, 2015)
Cynaroside pretreatment showed an inhibitory effect on the H2O2-induced increase in JNK and P53 protein expression (Sun et al, 2011). These findings suggest that flavonoid products prevent cardiomyocytes apoptosis in vitro by reducing the endogenous production of ROS, maintaining mitochondrial function, and modulating the JNK and P53 pathways
Summary
Edited by: Adolfo Andrade-Cetto, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico. Reviewed by: He-Hui Xie, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China Bin Geng, Peking University First Hospital, China. The potentially serious adverse effects of therapeutic drugs lead to growing awareness of the role of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Chinese herbal medicine has been widely used in many countries especially in China from antiquity; the mechanisms by which herbal medicine acts in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases are far from clear. Studies on developing new agents with effectiveness and safety from traditional Chinese medicine is a promising way for prevention and treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Herbs and Cardiovascular Diseases showed these therapeutic regimes effective in reducing cardiovascular events, the potentially serious adverse effects are still key challenges It prompted the search for alternative and complementary therapies for better management of CVDs. CHM generally applies some natural plant products including dietary factors or herbal medicines. We focus on both the clinic practices and experimental studies to summarize the application of plant products and mechanistic investigations
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