Chronic treatment of rats with Corydalis yanhusuo extract attenuates thee development of cardiac hypertrophy. - GreenMedInfo Summary

We have evaluated the effects of an alcohol extract from the rhizome of Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. (CY), a well-known traditional Chinese medicinal herb, on pressure-overloaded cardiac hypertrophy induced by transverse abdominal aorta constriction (TAAC) in rats. Rats were given vehicle or CY extract (200 or 50 mg kg(-1) per day) from the second week after induction of pressure overload, for a period of 7 weeks. Haemodynamic parameters, relative heart weight and myocyte cross-sectional area were measured in each group. We also estimated left ventricular (LV) collagen volume fraction (CVF) using Masson trichrome staining, and type I collagen expression by Western blot assay. Chronic TAAC caused notable cardiac hypertrophy and heart dysfunction. Significant collagen deposition and greater type I collagen expression were found in model control rats. These changes were not significantly reversed after treatment with 50 mg kg(-1) CY, whereas 200 mgkg(-1) significantly improved heart function and prevented cardiac hypertrophy, with parallel reductions in myocardial fibrosis, as evidenced by reduced LV CVF and reduced levels of type I collagen. In conclusion, chronic treatment of rats with CY extract attenuated development of cardiac hypertrophy.