Shen'ge Formula Could Protect Heart Function: A Traditional Chinese Medicine Method for Heart Failure

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is a worldwide health issue, and the application of Chinese medicine could provide new methods for the treatment of HF. Currently, there is no good medicine for diastolic heart failure (DHF) at present; therefore, we hope our study can confirm the effectiveness of Shen'ge formula (SGF) in the treatment of DHF and provide new strategies for patients with HF. To analyze the potential effect of SGF against HF, especially against DHF, we consult and summarize our previous researches on SGF. Our previous clinical studies demonstrated that SGF combined with conventional western medicine was able to improve ventricular contractility, heart function and reduce serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)/NT-proBNP levels of patients. The quality of life and clinical symptoms in HF patients were significantly improved after intervention. And basic researches also manifested that SGF was capable of preserving heart function, improving symptoms, and reducing cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in rats. Mechanisms involved in SGF ameliorating heart function probably were through downregulating AT1R, NADPH oxidase 2, 4, inhibiting TGF-β/smads pathway and RhoA/ROCK1 pathway. And SGF reducing serum metabolites accumulation was feasibly by up-regulating heart mRNA expressions of COX2, ATP6 and ATP8. In all, SGF exhibits many advantages in HF treatment according to the results of our previous researches, which indicates that SGF could be the potential beneficial strategy in DHF.