1 State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao 999078, Macao SAR, P. R. China.
Am J Chin Med. 2017;45(5):917-932. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X17500495. Epub 2017 Jun 28.
Autophagy refers to the process in which the cellular lysosome degrades the cell's own damaged organelles and related macromolecule substances. It plays important roles in the homeostasis of organs, cell survival, and stable development. Previous studies indicate that the process of cardiopathology is closely associated with autophagy and some of Chinese medicines (active compounds and formulae) are found to have beneficial effects on injured cardiomyocytes via the modulation of autophagy. This review highlights the efficacy of the action of Chinese medicine on the regulation of myocardial autophagy and summarizes the related molecular and signal mechanisms. Our study discovers that some active compounds and formulae of Chinese medicines react on the specific targets of autophagy in related signal pathways to exert protective effects in the processes of ischemia and reperfusion, as well as, in other cardiopathological models. Parts of these compounds even have the characteristics of multiple targets in autophagic signal pathways and dual-directional regulated actions on autophagy, suggesting that Chinese medicines, which possess the ability to modulate autophagy, might improve effective cardio protection in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
自噬是指细胞溶酶体降解自身受损细胞器和相关大分子物质的过程。它在器官的内稳态、细胞存活和稳定发育中发挥着重要作用。先前的研究表明，心脏病的发生过程与自噬密切相关，一些中药（活性化合物和方剂）通过调节自噬对受损的心肌细胞具有有益的作用。本综述强调了中药在调节心肌自噬方面的作用，并总结了相关的分子和信号机制。我们的研究发现，一些中药的活性化合物和方剂在相关信号通路中针对自噬的特定靶点发挥作用，在缺血再灌注以及其他心脏病模型中发挥保护作用。这些化合物中的一部分甚至在自噬信号通路中有多个靶点的特征，对自噬具有双向调节作用，这表明具有调节自噬能力的中药可能在治疗心血管疾病方面改善有效的心脏保护作用。
