Combination of Panaxadiol and Panaxatriol Type Saponins and Ophioponins From Shenmai Formula Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-induced Inflammatory Injury in Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Cells by Blocking NF-kappa B Pathway

J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2017 Mar;69(3):140-146. doi: 10.1097/FJC.0000000000000450.

Abstract

Vascular inflammatory injury leads to vascular endothelial dysfunction, thereby resulting in a variety of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Thus, attenuating vascular inflammatory injury has great significance for the prevention and treatment of CVDs. In China, Shenmai formula, a well-known ancient Chinese prescription, has been widely used to treat CVDs, such as coronary atherosclerosis and viral myocarditis. In vivo study has demonstrated that the optimal combination of 3 major active components from Shenmai formula, panaxadiol and panaxatriol type saponins and ophioponins, in a ratio of 1:2:2 might exert significant cardioprotective effects and anti-inflammatory activities. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the combination may exert anti-inflammatory effects on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory injury in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells by blocking nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. We found that the combination could exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the mRNA and protein expression of interleukin-1, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and intercellular adhesion molecule, as well as reducing the lactate dehydrogenase content in lipopolysaccharide-injured cardiac microvascular endothelial cells supernatant. Further experiments showed that the combination could suppress the NF-κB p65 expression and IκBα phosphorylation in these cells. These findings suggested that the combination inhibits vascular inflammatory injury by blocking NF-κB pathway, which proves a new molecular mechanism of the Shenmai formula to treat CVDs.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Drug Combinations
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / administration & dosage*
  • Endothelial Cells / drug effects*
  • Endothelial Cells / metabolism
  • Ginsenosides / administration & dosage*
  • Inflammation / chemically induced
  • Inflammation / drug therapy
  • Inflammation / metabolism
  • Inflammation Mediators / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Inflammation Mediators / metabolism
  • Lipopolysaccharides / toxicity
  • Microvessels / drug effects
  • Microvessels / metabolism
  • NF-kappa B / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Ophiopogon
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Saponins / administration & dosage
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / physiology

Substances

  • Drug Combinations
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Ginsenosides
  • Inflammation Mediators
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • NF-kappa B
  • Saponins
  • fructus schizandrae, radix ginseng, radix ophiopogonis drug combination
  • panaxadiol
  • panaxatriol