Berberine On Experimental Cardiac Hypertrophy And Mechanistic Studies

Cardiac hypertrophy, especially left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common pathway of the final stage of many cardiopathies, which has become an major risk factor, and a powerful independent predictor for the cardiovascular events. Although LVH in hypertension can be considered an adaptive response to reduce wall stress, LVH precedes the development of chronic heart failure. The regression of structural remodelling in hypertensive heart disease represents a goal of pharmacological intervention as a reduction in blood pressure in arterial hypertension may be unable to reduce fibroblast growth and collagen turnover. Therapeutic strategies have included the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors, angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonists, antagonists of aldosterone receptors, Calcium Channel Blockers (CCB) and antagonists of endothelin A and B receptors. But there are also some antihypertensive drugs such as Minoxidil which would aggravate myocardial ischemia and/or left ventricular hypertrophy as well as decrease the blood pressure.Berberine is the primary effective compound of a Chinese herb, Coptis chinensis Franch (coptis), it has been widely applied in treating some cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension and chronic heart failure. Ber's cardiovascular effect include antihypertension, positive inotropic, negative frequency, antiarrhythmia, and also could protect from heart failure and damnification after ischaemic-reperfusion. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to evaluate the effect of berberine on the development of detrimental chamber and interstitial remodeling in two-kiney two-clip rat model and L-thy-induced cardiac hypertrophy rat model, and intended to explain some underlined mechanism of its action.1 Berberine'effect on left ventricular remodeling in cardiac hypertrophy model rats1.1 Berberine's effect on left ventricular remodeling in 2K2C model ratsMethod: The cardiac hypertrophy model was established by the operation of two-kidney two-clip, two weeks later, berberine was given by gastrogavage for 4 weeks, then executed the rats, took the hearts out, calculated the HW/BW, LVW/BW, RW/BW. Measured the content of Hyp in the left ventricule. Took the equator annulus of left ventricular as paraffin slice, processed HE and Sirius red staining seperately, left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT), interventricular septal thickness (IVST), interstitial collagen volume fraction (ICVF) and perivascular collagen area (PVCA)...