ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cardiovasc. Med.

Sec. Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Drug Discovery

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1599746

This article is part of the Research TopicExploring Molecular Mechanisms and Novel Diagnostics in Cardiovascular Disease TreatmentView all 14 articles

Herb Pair of Astragali Radix-Descurainiae Semen Attenuate Heart Failure through the Myosin VI-Tom1 Complex Mediated Autophagy

Provisionally accepted
Mengyue  WangMengyue WangSonglin  NiSonglin NiTong  WangTong WangMo  SunMo SunQiaolan  WuQiaolan WuXiaolin  WuXiaolin WuGuangying  LuGuangying LuPei Wei  SuPei Wei SuZu  GaoZu GaoQian  ChenQian Chen*
  • Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Aim of the study: This study aims to explore the therapeutic effects of Astragali Radix-Descurainiae Semen (AR-DS) on heart failure and elucidate the mechanisms behind its efficacy.: A rat model of heart failure was established and treated with various dosages of AR-DS decoction. Cardiac function was assessed using echocardiography, and cardiac-related mass indices were calculated. Histopathological changes were observed through HE and Masson staining. Serum levels of BNP, NT-pro BNP, and ANP were measured to evaluate AR-DS's efficacy. Electron microscopy was employed to examine the ultrastructure of cardiomyocytes, and TUNEL staining was used to assess apoptosis. Expression levels of LC3, Beclin1, p62, Myosin VI (MYO6), and Target of Myb1 (Tom1) in myocardial tissue were analyzed using qRT-PCR and Western Blot. The expression of MYO6 and Tom1 in myocardial tissue was observed through multiple immunofluorescent stainings. Protein docking was used to assess the binding energy between MYO6 and Tom1. Molecular docking to detect the binding energy and binding site of the MYO6-Tom1 complex to the major components of AR-DS. Results: AR-DS effectively improved cardiac function and mitigated myocardial pathology in heart failure rats; it reduced serum levels of BNP, NT-pro BNP, and ANP, and suppressed cardiomyocyte apoptosis; AR-DS significantly downregulated the gene and protein expression of LC3 and Beclin1, upregulated p62, and reduced autophagy in myocardial tissue; AR-DS can effectively down-regulate the gene and protein expression of MYO6 and Tom1 in heart failure rat myocardium; protein docking results demonstrated the formation of a stable MYO6-Tom1 complex; lastly, the molecular docking results showed that the binding energies of the main components of AR-DS: Ononin, Astragaloside-IV, Rutin, Folic-acid, Daidzein, Isorhamnetin, Quercetin, Beta-Sitosterol, Kaempferol, and Formononetin can bind to the MYO6-Tom1 complex.Conclusions: AR-DS exerts a protective effect on myocardial tissue in heart failure rats by inhibiting myocardial autophagy, potentially through the modulation of the MYO6-Tom1 complex. This offers new insights into the clinical treatment of heart failure.

Keywords: Astragali Radix-Descurainiae Semen, Heart Failure, Autophgy, Myosin VI-Tom1, TCM

Received: 25 Mar 2025; Accepted: 16 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Ni, Wang, Sun, Wu, Wu, Lu, Su, Gao and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Qian Chen, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China

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