Abstract
To investigate the toxicity of water and ethanol “Fuzi” (FZ) extracts and to explore the toxicity mechanism in rats. Water and ethanol extracts were prepared. Three groups of rats received the water extract, ethanol extract, or water by oral gavage for seven days. Pathological section staining of heart tissue. Colorimetric analysis was used to determine serum lactate dehydrogenase. The metabolic expression of small molecules in rats was measured by a metabolomics method. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and caspase-3. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of CTnI, mTOR, and TGF-β1. The water and ethanol FZ extracts exert cardiotoxic effects via activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway to induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
Highlights
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an ancient system of medicine which is still widely used in China and surrounding areas as a complementary and alternative medicine
The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) results were consistent with the Cardiac troponin (CTnI) and creatine kinase mb isoenzyme (CK-MB) results
Myocardial injury releases CTnI from myocardial cells; CTnI and catecholamine were detected by immunohistochemistry (Figure 2D,E), which was consistent with the ELISA results
Summary
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an ancient system of medicine which is still widely used in China and surrounding areas as a complementary and alternative medicine. Aconitum carmichaelii Debx, the common name of the plants in the genus Aconitum L. (Ranunculaceae), are well known worldwide, both for their wide application in the traditional medicine of China, Japan, and Korea. As a widely used Chinese herbal medicine, the roots of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx have a wide range of pharmacological effects, commonly applied for various diseases, such as collapse, syncope, rheumatic fever, painful joints, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, oedema, bronchial asthma, various tumors, and some endocrinal disorders like irregular menstruation [3,4]. In Chinese Pharmacopoeia (CP) 2015, Aconitum carmichaelii Debx are recorded, extensively distributed in the Sichuan Province of China. Death may occur from ventricular arrhythmia within the first
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