Study Of Carthamus Tinctorius Extract On Left Ventricle In Pressure-Overloaded Hypertrophy Rat

Objective To explore the effect of Carthamus tinctorius extract on left ventricular hypertrophy induced by improving partly abdominal aortic coarctation operation In Wistar rats and to study whether apoptosis related protein Bax ,Bcl2 and Matrix Metalloproteinases MMP-2,MMP-9 are involved in the mechanism of the LVH or not.Methods: Using left side instead of the middle of the abdomen to approach the target, the hypertensive hypertrophy was induced with abdominal aortic coarctation in 40 rats which were randomly divided into control group ,Captopril group(100mg/kg), Carthamus tinctorius extract (40mg/kg) group one week later. While 12 rats were sham operated .The drugs were given by gastric perfusion once a day for 6 weeks.The weight of the rat and the left ventricle were measured and cardiac coefficient(heart weight/body weight) were calculated . The hearts were observed histologically by means of HE dyeing. The expression of Bcl2 and Bax protein in myocardium was observed by immunohistochemical method. MMP-2,MMP-9 were evaluated by ELISA means.Results Only two rats died within three days after operation. Compared with the sham operated group, the weight of the left ventricle (0.838 ± 0.216 g ) and the cardiac coefficient (0.309±0.032) of rats were significantly increased in control group. The histological lices also testified the hypertrophied cardiac myocytes. The Captopril group and Carthamus tinctorius extract group decreased the increasing weight of the left ventricle (Control group 0.838±0.216g, Carthamus tinctorius extract 0.795 ± 0.l73g, Captopril group 0.670 ±0.139g P <0.05) and decreased the increasing LVMI(Control group0.309±0.032, Carthamus tinctorius extract 0.282 ± 0.026, Captopril group 0.2730±0.029, P<0.05).The myocardial cells were nearly normal. The difference is significant between the control group and the other three groups in the proportion of Bcl2 and Bax Protein expression in the cardiac myocyte (p<0.05)and MMP-2 , MMP-9 in serum (p<0.05).Conclusion: The left side entering can reliably duplicate hypertensive LVH in rats with high repeatability and success rate. Carthamus tinctorius extract can inhibit the remodeling process of cardiac myocyte, abaissement the expression of the apoptosis related proteins Bcl2, Bax and serum concentration of Metalloproteinases MMP-2 , MMP-9 and have positive importance in the treatment of Ventricular remodeling which might be related with the apoptosis and Matrix Metalloproteinases. Furthermore the herbal medicine is relatively cheaper and easily available . Therefore it deserves further researching and developing.