Kuanxin tablet, a patented herbal-based TCM formula, alleviates cardiomyocyte apoptosis via activation of PI3K/p70S6K signaling pathway in myocardial infarction rats.

Abstract

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, posing a persistent and significant threat to public health for decades. Kuanxin tablet (KXT), a patented traditional Chinese medicine formulation, has been widely used in clinical practice for managing MI with a well-established efficacy and a favorable safety profile, yet its associated mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we employed a rat MI model to investigate the cardioprotective effect of KXT and to delineate the involved mechanisms. The results showed that KXT administration improved cardiac function, as evidenced by markedly increased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and fractional shortening (LVFS), alongside concomitant reductions in serum creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. Furthermore, KXT treatment significantly diminished the cardiac infarct size and attenuated collagen deposition. Mechanistically, KXT remarkably increased phosphorylation levels of both PI3K and p70S6K, leading to the downregulation of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Capase-3 and the upregulation of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that KXT could ameliorate cardiac dysfunction following MI by suppressing cardiomyocyte apoptosis through activation of the PI3K/p70S6K signaling pathway, thereby providing scientific validation for its clinical application and shedding light on its potential as a traditional Chinese medicine formula for treating MI.