Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang inhibits myocardial remodeling in a rat model of metabolic syndrome.

Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine and a potential anti-inflammatory agent. HLJDT has been used successfully to treat inflammation in diabetic rats. The current study is aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of HLJDT on myocardial remodeling in a rat model of metabolic syndrome (MS). Twenty-one MS rats were divided into two groups: the MS group and the MS+HLJDT group. Ten Wister rats were a normal control group (NC group). HLJDT (1.04 g/100g) was orally administered daily for 12 weeks in the MS+HLJDT group. The trial lasted 12 weeks. Changes of echocardiography, histological staining, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and molecular biology examinations were made. After treatment, in the MS+HLJDT group, Masson staining and echocardiography data revealed decreased collagen fibers compared with the MS group. Messenger RNA levels of IL-6, ICAM-1, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta1, NF-kappaB in left ventricular tissues were lower than in the MS group, and volume of mitochondria and the phenotype of cardiac muscle cells in TEM were close to normal. The results suggested that HLJDT reduced myocardial collagen deposition and inhibited cardiac remodeling in a rat model of MS.