Research Progress on the Pharmacological Effects of Active Components of Traditional Chinese Medicine Astragalus in the Treatment of Heart Failure

Abstract

Heart failure, referred to as HF for short, is a complex clinical syndrome caused by changes in cardiac structure and function, leading to impaired ejection function or ventricular filling. In recent years, its mortality rate has ranked first among the total death causes of urban and rural residents in China. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has always had rich experience in the prevention and treatment of heart failure. Nowadays, with the vigorous development of modern TCM, the research, development and application of effective active components of traditional Chinese medicine have attracted increasing attention. As a drug for benefiting qi, warming yang and activating blood circulation, Astragalus has the effects of benefiting qi and activating blood circulation, strengthening healthy qi and eliminating pathogenic factors. It also has the functions of improving myocardial energy metabolism, hemodynamics, protecting myocardium and promoting angiogenesis.In clinical practice, Astragalus is commonly used to treat patients with various types of heart failure with good efficacy. In recent years, studies have found that the active components of Astragalus, such as astragaloside IV, astragalus polysaccharides and flavonoids, can improve cardiac function and treat heart failure through multiple pathways, including inhibiting inflammatory response, cardiomyocyte apoptosis and myocardial fibrosis.