Danqi Tablet(丹七片)Regulates Energy Metabolism in Ischemic Heart Rat Model through AMPK/SIRT1-PGC-1α Pathway

Objective To investigate the cardioprotective effect of Danqi Tablet(DQT,丹七片)on ischemic heart model rats and the regulative effect on energy metabolism through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γcoactivator-1α(PGC-1α).Methods Rat ischemic heart model was induced by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery.Totally 40 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group,model group,DQT group(1.5 mg/kg daily)and trimetazidine(TMZ)group(6.3 mg/kg daily)according to a random number table,10 rats in each group.Twenty-eight days after continuous administration,cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography and the structures of myocardial cells were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining.The level of adenosine triphosphate(ATP)in myocardial cells was measured by ATP assay kit.Expressions level of key transcriptional regulators,including PGC-1α,Sirtuin 1(SIRT1),AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK),and downstream targets of PGC-1α,such as mitofusin 1(MFN1),mitofusin 2(MFN2)and superoxide dismutase 2(SOD2)were measured by Western blot.Expression level of PGC-1αwas examined by immunohistochemical staining.Results The rat ischemic heart model was successfully induced and the heart function in model group was compromised.Compared with the model group,DQT exerted cardioprotective effects,up-regulated the ATP production in myocardial cells and inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the margin area of infarction of the myocardial tissues(P<0.01).The expressions of PGC-1α,SIRT1 and AMPK were increased in the DQT group(all P<0.05).Furthermore,the downstream targets,including MFN1,MFN2 and SOD2 were up-regulated(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with the TMZ group,the expression levels of PGC-1α,MFN1 and SOD2 were increased by DQT treatment(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion DQT regulated energy metabolism in rats with ischemic heart model through AMPK/SIRT1-PGC-1αpathway.PGC-1αmight serve as a promising target in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.