Oral sophocarpine protects rat heart against pressure overload-induced cardiac fibrosis. (August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Jun; Li, Liudong; Chu, Hongxia; Sun, Xiaojian; Ge, Zhiming
• Is Part Of: Pharmaceutical biology. Volume 52:Number 8(2014:Aug.)
• Page Start: 1045
• Page End: 1051
• Publication Date: 2014-08
• Subjects: Pharmacognosy -- Periodicals; Materia medica, Vegetable -- Periodicals; 615.321
• DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2013.877038
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1388-0209

Abstract

<abstract> <title>Abstract</title> <p> <italic>Context</italic>: Sophocarpine, a tetracyclic quinolizidine alkaloid, is one of the most abundant active ingredients in <italic>Sophora alopecuroides</italic> Linn. (Kudouzi). Sophocarpine injection was found to have significant antiviral effects against coxsackievirus B3 and therapeutic effects for viral myocarditis in the clinic.</p> <p> <italic>Objective</italic>: This study assessed the effects of sophocapine on overload-induced cardiac fibrosis and investigated potential mechanisms.</p> <p> <italic>Materials and methods</italic>: Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to a suprarenal abdominal aorta constriction (AC) or sham to induce sustained pressure overload. Six weeks later, rats were randomly assigned to receive sophocapine (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, gavage) or vehicle treatment for an additional 6 weeks. Six weeks after treatment, cardiac dysfunction, cardiac coefficient, cardiac fibrosis, hydroxyproline concentration, and inflammation mediators were examined.</p> <p> <italic>Results</italic>: When compared with the model group, the left ventricular weight/body weight decreased by 25.4% and 39.0% in 20 and 40 mg/kg sophocarpine groups, respectively. The beneficial effects were associated with amelioration of left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP) and left ventricular enddiastolic pressure (LVEDP). Moreover, pressure overload-induced cardiac fibrosis was attenuated in sophocarpine treated groups. Importantly, sophocarpine (20 and 40 mg/kg) decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-6, 14.6% and 18.5%; IL-1β, 23.1% and 32.6%), collagen content (27.7% and 50.1%), as well as matrix metalloproteinases-2, 9 (MMP-2, 9) expression (MMP-2, 11.8% and 18.5%; MMP-9, 16.2% and 21.1%). Sophocarpine (40 mg/kg) inhibited IκB-α phosphorylation (19.0%).</p> <p> <italic>Conclusion</italic>: These findings indicated that sophocarpine potentially had antifibrotic effects. The mechanism might be due to modulation of the balance between pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and collagen content level as well as MMPs expression via the NF-κB signaling pathway.</p> </abstract>