Iron overload cardiomyopathy results from
iron accumulation in the myocardium that is closely linked to
iron-mediated myocardial
fibrosis. Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM, also known as Danshen), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, has been widely used for hundreds of years to treat
cardiovascular diseases. Here, we investigated the effect and potential mechanism of SM on myocardial
fibrosis induced by chronic
iron overload (CIO) in mice. Kunming male mice (8 weeks old) were randomized to six groups of 10 animals each: control (CONT), CIO, low-dose SM (L-SM), high-dose SM (H-SM),
verapamil (VRP) and
deferoxamine (DFO) groups.
Normal saline was injected in the CONT group. Mice in the other five groups were treated with
iron dextran at 50 mg/kg per day intraperitoneally for 7 weeks, and those in the latter four groups also received corresponding daily treatments, including 3 g/kg or 6 g/kg of SM, 100 mg/kg of VRP, or 100 mg/kg of DFO. The
iron deposition was estimated histologically using
Prussian blue staining. Myocardial
fibrosis was determined by Masson's trichrome staining and
hydroxyproline (Hyp) quantitative assay.
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity,
malondialdehyde (MDA) content and
protein expression levels of
type I collagen (COL I),
type I collagen (COL III), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and
matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were analyzed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of SM against
iron-overloaded
fibrosis. Treatment of chronic
iron-overloaded mice with SM dose-dependently reduced
iron deposition levels, fibrotic area percentage, Hyp content, expression levels of COL I and COL III, as well as upregulated the expression of TGF- β1 and MMP-9
proteins in the heart. Moreover, SM treatment decreased MDA content and increased SOD activity. In conclusion, SM exerted activities against cardiac
fibrosis induced by CIO, which may be attributed to its inhibition of
iron deposition, as well as
collagen metabolism and oxidative stress.