Myocardial ischemia is a serious threat to human health, and vascular dysfunction is its main cause. Buxu Tongyu Granule (BXTY) is an effective traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating myocardial ischemia. However, the underlying mechanism of BXTY is still unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that BXTY ameliorates myocardial ischemia by activating the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC)–3′,5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)–protein kinase G (PKG) signaling pathway in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to dilate the arteries.

In this study it is found that preventive administration of BXTY is equivalent to that of the therapeutic administration of nitroglycerin—the classic clinical anti-myocardial ischemia drug. Inhibiting abnormal vasomotor is one of the underlying mechanisms of the cardioprotective effects of BXTY. Activating sGC, increasing intracellular cGMP content, and increasing the activity of cGMP-dependent PKG in vascular smooth muscle is the molecular signaling mechanism for BXTY.

In conclusion, BXTY can improve the symptoms of acute myocardial ischemia in mice, and activating the sGC–cGMP–PKG pathway in VSMCs to induce vasodilation is its key pharmacodynamic mechanism.

source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095809923002904?via%3Dihub