Puerarin is a well-known
traditional Chinese medicine which has been used for the treatment of
cardiovascular diseases. Recently, a new advantageous crystal form of
puerarin,
puerarin-V, has been developed. However, the cardioprotective effects of
puerarin-V on
myocardial infarction (MI)
heart failure are still unclear. In this research, we aim to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of
puerarin-V on the
isoproterenol (ISO)-induced MI mice and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. To induce MI in C57BL/6 mice, ISO was administered at 40 mg/kg subcutaneously every 12 h for three times in total. The mice were randomly divided into nine groups: (1) control; (2) ISO; (3) ISO +
puerarin injection; (4⁻9) ISO +
puerarin-V at different doses and timings.
After treatment, cardiac function was evaluated by electrocardiogram (ECG), biochemical and histochemical analysis. In vitro inflammatory responses and apoptosis were evaluated in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) challenged by
lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS-induced
PPAR-Υ/NF-κB and subsequently activation of
cytokines were assessed by the western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Administration of
puerarin-V significantly inhibits the typical ST segment depression compared with that in MI mice. Further,
puerarin-V treatment significantly improves ventricular wall
infarction, decreases the incidence of mortality, and inhibits the levels of myocardial injury markers. Moreover,
puerarin-V treatment reduces the inflammatory milieu in the heart of MI mice, thereby blocking the upregulation of proinflammatory
cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6). The beneficial effects of
puerarin-V might be associated with the normalization in gene expression of
PPAR-Υ and
PPAR-Υ/NF-κB /ΙκB-α/ΙΚΚα/β phosphorylation. In the in vitro experiment, treatment with
puerarin-V (0.3, 1 and 3 μM) significantly reduces cell death and suppresses the
inflammation cytokines expression. Likewise,
puerarin-V exhibits similar mechanisms. The cardioprotective effects of
puerarin-V treatment on MI mice in the pre + post-ISO group seem to be more prominent compared to those in the post-ISO group.
Puerarin-V exerts cardioprotective effects against ISO-induced MI in mice, which may be related to the activation of
PPAR-γ and the inhibition of NF-κB signaling in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, our research provides a new therapeutic option for the treatment of MI in clinic.