Abstract:
Objective To investigate the effects of safflower yellow pigment on the ROS/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway and cardiomyocyte pyroptosis in myocardial tissue of coronary heart disease (CHD) mice.
Methods Ten C57BL/6J mice were selected as the control group; thirty 18-22 g SPF male ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into the CHD group, the safflower yellow pigment group, and the JNK phosphorylation inhibitor group (Urolithin B group), with 10 mice in each group. Echocardiography was used to measure left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS). HE staining was used to detect pathological changes in myocardial tissue, Masson staining was used to detect the level of fibrosis in myocardial tissue, and reagent kits were used to detect the levels of ROS, IL-1β, and IL-18. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of JNK, p-JNK, NLRP3, and Caspase-1 proteins in myocardial tissue.
Results Compared with the control group, the LVEF and LVFS of mice in the CHD group decreased (P < 0.05), myocardial fibers were disordered and fractured, and a large amount of collagen deposition was observed in the myocardial interstitium. The expression levels of p-JNK, NLRP3, Caspase-1 proteins and the levels of ROS, IL-1β, and IL-18 in myocardial tissue increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the CHD group, the LVEF and LVFS of mice in the safflower yellow pigment group increased, myocardial fiber damage improved, collagen deposition in the myocardial interstitium decreased, and the expression levels of p-JNK, NLRP3, Caspase-1 proteins and the levels of ROS, IL-1β, and IL-18 in myocardial tissue decreased (P < 0.05). In the Urolithin B group, the expression levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 proteins and the levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in myocardial tissue decreased (P < 0.05).
Conclusions Safflower yellow pigment can improve cardiac function and myocardial tissue pathological damage in CHD mice, downregulate the ROS/JNK pathway in myocardial tissue, and inhibit cardiomyocyte pyroptosis.