OBJECTIVETo explore the protective effects of extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGB) in adriamycin (ADR)-induced heart failure (HF) and the mechanism of ghrelin peptide.

METHODWistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group, HF group and EGB group. ADR was injected in the rats of HF group and EGB group by caudal vein. After the last injection, the rats in EGB group were given intra-gastric administration of EGB solution (100 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)). Three weeks later, cardiac function was detected; Ghrelin levels in plasma and myocardium were measured by radio-immunology assay (RIA); High energy phosphates (HEP) contents in myocardium were measured by HPLC; Myocardial gene expression of ghrelin was measured by RT-PCR.

RESULTCompared with control group, HF group had obviously decreased index of cardiac function, and these indexes such as +/- dp/dt max in EGB group were higher than those in ADR group. Plasma ghrelin level in HF group was higher than that in control group while myocardial ghrelin level was significantly lower than that in control group. Myocardial ATP content and gene expression of ghrelin mRNA in HF group were significantly lower than those in control group; Plasma ghrelin level in EGB group was significantly increased. Myocardial ATP content and gene expression of ghrelin mRNA in EGB group were significantly higher than those in HF group, and were closed to those of control group.

CONCLUSIONMyocardial energy dysfunction is an important reason of ADR-induced HF. EGB therapy can improve cardiac function and energy metabolism in HF rats, partly because it might increase the expression and production of ghrelin, which can promote positive energy metabolism.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Doxorubicin ; adverse effects ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Ghrelin ; metabolism ; Ginkgo biloba ; chemistry ; Heart Failure ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; administration & dosage ; Protective Agents ; administration & dosage ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

ObjectiveTo construct a macro-evaluation tool for dampness syndrome （DS） animal model， which will provide a basis for experimental research on dampness syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. MethodsConceptual framework of this study was clarified through discussions within the core working group， and dimensions of the evaluation of the animal model of DS were identified according to TCM principles. We searched CNKI， Wanfang， VIP and SinoMed databases from the inception to June 30th， 2023， on experiments involving dampness syndrome animals to create a pool of items about DS animal models. The core items were selected and extracted for factor analysis and cluster analysis. An expert importance rating questionnaire was developed based on the results of the literature review， analyzing the distribution of item scores， importance averages， and coefficient of variation. Through a comprehensive analysis of literature， expert importance scoring， and specific expert opinions， items that did not meet anyone of the criteria of average importance rating ≥2.04， coefficient of variation ≤30%， or literature eva-luation frequency ≥2% were removed， thereafter， the macro-evaluation tool for DS animal model was preliminarily constructed. ResultsSpirit and body state， autonomic activity state， body surface characteristics， diet， urination and defecation， tongue manifestation， and motor behavior assessment were constructed as the seven dimensions in the evaluation of DS animal model. A total of 348 papers about animal experiments were included and analyzed， resulting in a saturated pool of 72 items， which was refined to 38 core items of DS animal models. Factor analysis obtained 16 common factors， which were further clustered into two categories， named dampness transforming from heat syndrome and dampness transforming from cold syndrome. The expert importance scoring showed that the Kendall harmony coefficient was 0.359 （P＜0.05） indicating a high level of agreement， coordination and reliability among the experts. Notably， 50% or more of the experts considered the items thick and greasy tongue coating， unclean perianal area， loose stools， lethargy， unformed stools， and listless expression as very important. The median scores for all items were 2.04（1.73， 2.37）， with a coefficient of variation ranging from 19.73% to 53.38%. After expert evaluation， the macro-evaluation tool for DS animal model in TCM with 33 items and corresponding criteria for assessing the formation of DS models was finally contructed. ConclusionThe Macro-evaluation tool for DS animal model in TCM is highly scientific， credible， and operable， and can be utilized in DS animal experiments after its characteristics are actually evaluated.