Tongmai Kaiqiao Pills Treat Vascular Dementia in Rats by Regulating Mitochondrial Autophagy via HIF-1α/BNIP3 Signaling Pathway
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20240738
- VernacularTitle:基于HIF-1α/BNIP3信号通路调控线粒体自噬探讨通脉开窍丸治疗血管性痴呆大鼠的机制
- Author:
Huimin DING
1
;
Yanjie LI
2
;
Hewei QIN
2
;
Chenyuan HAO
1
;
Nannan ZHAO
1
;
Zhenhua XU
1
;
Mengyan SUN
1
Author Information
1. Henan University of Chinese Medicine，Zhengzhou 450008，China
2. Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Zhengzhou 450053，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Tongmai Kaiqiao pills;
vascular dementia;
mitochondrial autophagy;
hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）/adenovirus E1B 19 kD-interacting protein 3 （BNIP3） signaling pathway
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2024;30(21):52-60
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Tongmai Kaiqiao pills on the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）/adenovirus E1B 19 kD-interacting protein 3 （BNIP3） signaling pathway and mitochondrial autophagy in the hippocampus of the rat model of vascular dementia （VD）. MethodNinety male SD rats underwent adaptive feeding for one week before the study. Ten rats were randomly assigned to the sham group， where the common carotid artery was isolated without ligation. The remaining rats were subjected to sequential ligation of the common carotid artery for the modeling of VD. The successfully modeled rats were randomly assigned into the following groups： model， high-， medium-， and low-dose （27.6， 13.8， 6.9 g·kg-1， respectively） Tongmai Kaiqiao pills， donepezil hydrochloride （0.45 mg·kg-1）， and combination （27.6 g·kg-1 Tongmai Kaiqiao pills + 2.5 mg·kg-1 HIF-1α inhibitor YC-1） groups. After 4 weeks of treatment， samples were collected. Nissl staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining were performed to observe the loss of neurons and pathological changes， respectively， in the hippocampal region. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of HIF-1α， BNIP3， Beclin-1， and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B （LC3B） in the hippocampal tissue. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the mitochondrial ultrastructure and the number of autophagosomes in the hippocampal tissue. Immunofluorescence was employed to observe the fluorescence intensity of HIF-1α， BNIP3， and LC3B in the hippocampal tissue. ResultCompared with the sham group， the model group showed prolonged escape latency （P<0.01）， decreased number of platform crossings （P<0.01）， reduced and disarranged neuronal layers in the hippocampal region， decreased number of Nissl bodies， disrupted mitochondrial cristae， damaged mitochondrial double-membrane structures， increased number of autophagosomes， upregulated expression of HIF-1α， BNIP3， beclin1， and LC3B （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and enhanced fluorescence intensity of HIF-1α， BNIP3， and LC3B （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Tongmai Kaiqiao pills and donepezil hydrochloride shortened the searching time for the platform （P<0.01） and increased the number of platform crossings （P<0.01）. Moreover， the drugs increased the number of neurons with normal morphology and orderly arrangement and the number of Nissl bodies， alleviated the damage， increased the number of autophagosomes， upregulated the expression of HIF-1α， BNIP3， Beclin1， and LC3B （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and enhanced the fluorescence intensity of HIF-1α， BNIP3， and LC3B （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with high-dose Tongmai Kaiqiao pills， the combination group prolonged the escape latency （P<0.01）， reduced the number of crossing platforms （P<0.01）， decreased the number of hippocampal neurons， aggravated the damage， decreased the number of Nissl bodies and autophagosomes， downregulated the expression of HIF-1α， BNIP3， beclin1， and LC3B （P<0.01）， and decreased the fluorescence intensity of HIF-1α， BNIP3， and LC3B （P<0.01）. ConclusionTongmai Kaiqiao pills may activate the HIF-1α/BNIP3 signaling pathway to promote the occurrence of mitochondrial autophagy， clear damaged mitochondria， provide energy for healthy cells， reduce neuronal cell death， and restore the brain function， thereby reducing ischemic damage to the hippocampal tissue， improving learning and memory abilities， and exerting therapeutic effects on VD in rats.
