Saponins in Chinese Herbal Medicine Exerts Protection in Myocardial Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury: Possible Mechanism and Target Analysis

Abstract

Myocardial ischemia is a high-risk disease among middle-aged and senior individuals. After thrombolytic therapy, heart tissue can potentially suffer further damage, which is called myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). At present, the treatment methods and drugs for MIRI are scarce and cannot meet the current clinical needs. The mechanism of MIRI involves the interaction of multiple factors, and the current research hotspots mainly include oxidative stress, inflammation, calcium overload, energy metabolism disorders, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has multiple targets and few toxic side effects; clinical preparations containing Panax ginseng C. A. Mey., Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen, Aralia chinensis L., cardioprotection, and other Chinese herbal medicines have been used to treat patients with coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, and other cardiovascular diseases. Studies have shown that saponins are the main active substances in TCMs containing Panax ginseng C. A. Mey., Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen, Aralia chinensis L., and Radix astragali. In the present review, we sorted the saponin components with anti-MIRI effects and their regulatory mechanisms. Each saponin can play a cardioprotective role via multiple mechanisms, and the signaling pathways involved in different saponins are not the same. We found that more active saponins in Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. are mainly dammar-type structures and have a strong regulatory effect on energy metabolism. The highly active saponin components of Aralia chinensis L. are oleanolic acid structures, which have significant regulatory effects on calcium homeostasis. Therefore, saponins in Chinese herbal medicine provide a broad application prospect for the development of highly effective and low-toxicity anti-MIRI drugs.

Promising Therapeutic Candidate for Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: What Are the Possible Mechanisms and Roles of Phytochemicals?

“…In recent years, many studies have shown that the saponins extracted from herbal are great protective of myocardial I/R injury in vivo and in vitro . The mechanisms are diverse and mainly involve regulating energy metabolism and calcium homeostasis, and inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation ( 172 ).…”

Molecular-Signaling Pathways of Ginsenosides Rb in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: A Mini Review

“…Ginseng, a perennial plant belonging to the Araliaceae family (Panax genus), has been extensively studied for its antioxidant defense mechanism with potential protection against MIRI [37][38][39]. Ginseng is particularly used in Asian countries for thousands of years to maintain body homeostasis and energy enhancement [37,40,41].…”

“…Lack of clinical studies that involve ginsenosides are associated with their low bioavailability (poor water solubility and biomembrane permeability, instability in gastrointestinal tract, and high metabolic rate in the body [27]. Previous reviews on the effects of ginsenosides in MIRI were broad, discussing various types and aspects of ginsenoside in general [11,28]. Therefore, in the present review, we aimed to focus on the mechanism of major components of ginsenosides (Rb), emphasizing the molecular-signaling pathway responsible for the cardioprotective effects against MIRI specifically in ex vivo, in vivo, and in vitro models.…”

The Modern Aspects of Nutrition during Chronic Heart Failure

“…В ряде исследований было установлено также, что некоторые сапонины (гинзенозиды, арджунолевая кислота, астрагалозид IV), алкалоиды (сальсолинол, хигенамин, лигустразин), полисахариды (Ophiopogon, Lycium barbarum, Astragalus), вещества, используемые в традиционной Китайской медицине, могут влиять на процессы ремоделирования миокарда (гипертрофия, фиброз, апоптоз, ангиогенез), уменьшать степень окислительного стресса, митохондриальной дисфункции, хронического системного воспаления [111][112][113][114][115][116].…”