Study on the mechanism of two related Chinese herbs Chenpi-Banxia in the treatment of coronary microvascular dysfunction based on network pharmacology

Objective:By the method of network pharmacology to study the main active compounds,main target genes,critical path and mechanism of the two classical Chinese herbs Chenpi-Banxia in the treatment of Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction(CMD).Methods:Obtaining potential active compounds of Chenpi-Banxia from TCMSP,while the targets for CMD were obtained from DrugBank and OMIM databases.Using UniProt database to query the corresponding gene name.The key target of Chenpi-Banxia in the treatment of Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction can be obtained by using the intersection of VENNY.The PPI network was screened for the major targets by String and Cytoscape3.7.1.The GO enrichment analysis and KEGG Pathway analyses of major targets were performed by using the DAVID database and use Binformatics to draw bubble map.Finally,the ingredient-major arget-key pathway network was constructed by Cytoscape3.7.1.Results:There were 16 compounds such as naringenin,nobiletin,baicalein.beta-sitosterol etc,and 56 predictive target genes such as AKT1、VEGFA、BCL2、BAX、JUN etc,as well as 20 key pathways including inflammation-related pathway(TNF signaling pathway),pathways related to cardiovascular system(PI3K-Akt signaling pathway),Vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway(VEGF signaling pathway),Apoptosis related pathways(Apoptosis)and Hypoxia cell stress signaling pathway(HIF-1 signaling pathway)in the Compounds-Target-Pathway network.Conclusion:The study verified the characteristics of multi-components,multi-targets and integral regulation for Chenpi-Banxia with the application of network pharmacology.It predicted that Chenpi-Banxia couldtreat Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction mainly by protecting endothelial cell function of coronary microcirculation,inhibiting cell apoptosis and affecting inflammatory reaction.

Higher serum angiopoietin 2 levels are independently associated with coronary microvascular dysfunction in patients with angina in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease

Background:Angiopoietin-2(Ang-2)is a type of endothelial growth factor involved in angiogenesis and vascular remodeling.Circulating Ang-2 levels are elevated in patients with obstructive coronary artery disease(CAD).This study aimed to evaluate the association between serum Ang-2 levels and coronary microvascular dysfunction in patients without obstructive CAD.Methods:A total of 125 patients with angina in the absence of obstructive CAD were included in this cross-sectional study.Coronary flow reserve(CFR)was measured in the distal left anterior descending coronary artery by trans-thoracic Doppler echocardiography.The patients were divided into the following two sub-groups according to CFR:the impaired CFR group with CFR values<2.5 and the preserved CFR group with CFR values≥2.5.Serum Ang-2 levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Independent predictors for impaired CFR were identified by binary logistic regression analysis.The receiveroperating characteristic curve was determined to evaluate the ability of serum Ang-2 in predicting impaired CFR.Results:We found that age,percentage of female sex,N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels,Ang-2 levels(763.3±264.9 vs.579.7±169.3 pg/mL,P<0.001),and the left atrial volume index were significantly higher in patients with impaired CFR than in patients with preserved CFR.Serum Ang-2 levels were negatively correlated with CFR(r=0.386,P<0.001).Binary logistic regression analysis showed that Ang-2(odds ratio:1.004,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.001–1.006,P=0.003)and age(odds ratio:1.088,95%CI:1.023–1.156,P=0.007)were independently associated with impaired CFR.Furthermore,Ang-2 was a significant predictor of impaired CFR on the receiver-operating characteristic curve(P<0.001).The area under the curve was 0.712(95%CI:0.612–0.813).Conclusions:High serum Ang-2 levels are independently associated with impaired CFR in patients with angina in the absence of obstructive CAD.

Treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy caused by coronary microvascular dysfunction with anisodamine: a report of 5 cases

The management of dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM) is well established. However, a subset of patients does not have recovery from or have recurrences of left ventricular(LV) dysfunction despite receiving optimal medical therapy. Coronary microvascular dysfunction(CMD) can result from structural and functional abnormalities at the intramural and small coronary vessel level affecting coronary blood flow autoregulation and consequently leading to impaired coronary flow reserve. Dilated myocardial phenotype may be responsible for CMD in DCM. Anisodamine can exert a significant effect on relieving microvascular spasm, and improving and dredging the coronary microcirculation. However,whether CMD can be potentially improved with anisodamine to make DCM better remains incompletely understood.

Mechanisms of Myocardial Stunning in Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy,in contrast to acute myocardial infarction,is a type of acute heart failure characterized by reversible left ventricular dysfunction.Cardiac imaging primarily reveals left ventricle myocardial stunning,81.7%of which is apical type.Emotional or psychological stress usually precedes the onset of stress-induced cardiomyopathy,which is increasingly being recognized as a unique neurogenic myocardial stunning disease.To distinguish between acute myocardial infarction and acute viral or auto-immune myocarditis,this review summarizes specific mechanisms of myocardial stunning in stress-induced cardiomyopathy,such as calcium disorders,metabolic alterations,anatomical and histological variations in different parts of the left ventricle,and microvascular dysfunction.

Transplantation of CD34+cells for myocardial ischemia

CD34+cells are multipotent hematopoietic stem cells also known as endothelial progenitor cells and are useful in regenerative medicine.Naturally,these cells are mobilized from the bone marrow into peripheral circulation in response to ischemic tissue injury.CD34+cells are known for their high proliferative and differentiation capacities that play a crucial role in the repair process of myocardial damage.They have an important paracrine activity in secreting factors to stimulate vasculogenesis,reduce endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes apoptosis,remodel extracellular matrix and activate additional progenitor cells.Once they migrate to the target site,they enhance angiogenesis,neovascularization and tissue regeneration.Several trials have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of CD34+cell therapy in different settings,such as peripheral limb ischemia,stroke and cardiovascular disease.Herein,we review the potential utility of CD34+cell transplantation in acute myocardial infarction,refractory angina and ischemic heart failure.