The Antihypertensive Effects and Mechanisms of Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction in Rats with H-Type Hypertension

Published: May 17, 2024

doi:

Juanjuan Shen, Chunjie Hu, Yuan Li, Xiaoling Shang, Yue Deng, Jiajuan Guo, Lina Zhang, Jinfeng Wang, Wenfeng Zhang

¹Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, ²First Affiliated Hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine

Summary

Here, we present a protocol to induce H-type hypertension and evaluate the antihypertensive effects of Huotan Jiedu Tongluo decoction (HTJDTLD) administered intragastrically. In rats with H-type hypertension, HTJDTLD had effective antihypertensive effects, possibly associated with inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis pathway activation.

Abstract

H-type hypertension, which is a specific form of hypertension characterized by elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels, has become a major public health challenge worldwide. This study investigated the hypotensive effects and underlying mechanisms of Huotan Jiedu Tongluo decoction (HTJDTLD), a highly effective traditional Chinese medicine formula commonly used to treat vascular stenosis. Methionine was used to induce H-type hypertension in rats, and HTJDTLD was administered intragastrically. Then, the systolic and diastolic blood pressures of the caudal artery of rats were measured by noninvasive rat caudal manometry. Histological assessment of the aorta was performed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure Hcy levels, and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting were used to determine the mRNA and protein levels of Glucose regulatory protein 78 (GRP78), Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), and caspase-3. The results showed that HTJDTLD significantly lowered blood pressure, alleviated histopathological lesions, and decreased Hcy levels after methionine treatment. Moreover, HTJDTLD significantly inhibited the gene and protein expression of GRP78, JNK, TRAF2, and caspase 3, which are involved mainly in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis pathway. Overall, the results indicated that HTJDTLD had effective antihypertensive effects in rats with H-type hypertension and revealed the antihypertensive mechanisms associated with inhibition of ER stress-induced apoptosis pathway activation.

Introduction

Hypertension, a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and renal failure, has become a significant public health challenge that affects 1 billion people worldwide¹. Homocysteine (Hcy), a thiol group-containing amino acid, is a vital metabolic intermediary of methionine metabolism. Hypertension with elevated plasma Hcy levels is defined as H-type hypertension, which could be a significant risk factor for the occurrence and recurrence of cardiocerebrovascular diseases such as stroke²^,³. Recent studies have reported that the co-residency of H-type hypertension could aggravate the side effects of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases⁴. Notably, 75% of patients in China with H-type hypertension have primary hypertension, which seriously affects the quality of life⁵. At present, the treatment of H-type hypertension mainly includes Western medicine. However, it may cause certain adverse effects and poor compliance and can no longer meet the needs for the comprehensive management of H-type hypertension.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a unique resource with a history of more than 2,000 years in China. Due to the unmet need for hypertension control in Western medicine, clinicians have begun to consider the potential role of TCM in the prevention and treatment of H-type hypertension⁶. Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction (HTJDTLD) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula formulated by Professor Yue Deng, drawing from his extensive clinical expertise⁷. Over the course of more than 20 years of clinical application, HTJDTLD has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases¹. However, whether HTJDTLD has therapeutic effects in H-type hypertension has not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to explore the antihypertensive effects and specific mechanisms of HTJDTLD in rats with H-type hypertension and identify potential therapeutic drugs for the treatment of H-type hypertension.

Protocol

All animal experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine. The materials are listed in the Table of Materials. 1. Animals and treatment Randomly divide a total of 50 adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) (male, 50 days old) into five groups, including control (CON), methionine (MET), MET + HTJDTLD + Enalapril maleate (EM), MET + EM, and MET + HTJDTLD groups.<br…

Representative Results

As shown in Table 4 and Table 5, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were significantly greater in the MET group than those in the CON group from 1 to 4 weeks. After HTJDTLD treatment, the SBP and DBP of the rats were significantly lower than those in the MET group. Notably, the combined utilization of HTJDTLD and EM had a stronger antihypertensive effect than HTJDTLD treatment alone. According to HE staining and Masson's t…

Discussion

Hypertension is one of the most common cardiovascular disorders that affects one-third of the adult population and increases the risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and heart and renal failure⁸. H-type hypertension is a special type of hypertension that refers to the co-occurrence of primary hypertension and increased homocysteine levels and has attracted broad attention over the years⁹. In recent years, the use of oral EM combined with antihypertensive drugs has shown …

Disclosures

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province (no. YDZJ202301ZYTS189).

Materials

1st Strand cDNA Synthesis SuperMix for qPCR	Yeasen,China	11149ES	cDNA synthesis kit
Anti-beta-actin antibody	Bioss, China	bs-0061R
Anti-caspase-3 antibody	Bioss, China	bs-0081R
Anti-GPR78 antibody	Abcam, USA	ab108513
Anti-JNK antibody	Abcam, USA	ab76572
Anti-p-JNK antibody	Bioss, China	bsm-52462R
Anti-rabbit IgG antibody	Bioss, China	bs-0295G-HRP
Anti-TRAF2 antibody	Bioss, China	bs-22372R
Bio-Rad CFX96 Touch system	Bio-Rad	CFX96	real-time PCR detection system
ECL Western Blot Substrates	Merck, MA, USA	WBULP-10ML
Enalapril maleate folic acid tablets	Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical Company, China	20040991
FastStart SYBR Green Master	Sigma	FSSGMMRO
Fructus Trichosanthis	The First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China	No catalog number
Hirudo	The First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China	No catalog number
intelligent noninvasive sphygmomanometer	Beijing Softron Biotechnology company	BP-2010A
Lonicerae Japonicae Flos	The First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China	No catalog number
Methionine	Sigma, USA	M9500
Radix Angelicae Sinensis	The First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China	No catalog number
Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae	The First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China	No catalog number
Radix et Rhizoma Nardostachyos	The First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China	No catalog number
Radix et Rhizoma Rhodiolae Crenulatae	The First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China	No catalog number
Radix et Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae	The First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China	No catalog number
Radix Scrophulariae	The First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China	No catalog number
Rat Hcy ELISA Kits	Shanghai Meimian Industrial Company, China	MM-0293R2
RIPA buffer	Shanghai Beyotime Biotechnology company	P0013B

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