Excessive intake of high fat diet (HFD) and associated obese conditions are critical contributors of cardiac diseases. In this study, an active metabolite andrographolide from Andrographis paniculata was found to ameliorate HFD‐induced cardiac apoptosis. C57/BL6 mouse were grouped as control (n = 9), obese (n = 8), low dose (25 mg/kg/d) andrographolide treatment (n = 9), and high dose (50 mg/kg/d) andrographolide treatment (n = 9). The control group was provided with standard laboratory chow and the other groups were fed with HFD. Andrographolide was administered through oral gavage for 1 week. Histopathological analysis showed increase in apoptotic nuclei and considerable cardiac‐damages in the obese group signifying cardiac remodeling effects. Further, Western blot results showed increase in pro‐apoptotic proteins and decrease in the proteins of IGF‐1R‐survival signaling. However, feeding of andrographolide significantly reduced the cardiac effects of HFD. The results strongly suggest that andrographolide supplementation can be used for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in obese patients.

中文翻译：

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穿心莲内酯减轻心脏凋亡，为高脂饮食诱导的肥胖小鼠提供心脏保护

过量摄入高脂肪饮食 (HFD) 和相关的肥胖状况是心脏病的关键因素。在这项研究中，发现来自穿心莲的活性代谢物穿心莲内酯可改善 HFD 诱导的心脏细胞凋亡。C57/BL6 小鼠被分组为对照 (n = 9)、肥胖 (n = 8)、低剂量 (25 mg/kg/d) 穿心莲内酯治疗 (n = 9) 和高剂量 (50 mg/kg/d)穿心莲内酯治疗（n = 9）。对照组喂食标准实验室饲料，其他组喂食HFD。穿心莲内酯通过口服管饲给药 1 周。组织病理学分析显示，肥胖组中凋亡细胞核增加和相当大的心脏损伤，表明心脏重塑效应。更多，蛋白质印迹结果显示促凋亡蛋白增加，IGF-1R 存活信号蛋白减少。然而，穿心莲内酯的喂养显着降低了 HFD 的心脏效应。结果强烈表明，穿心莲内酯补充剂可用于预防和治疗肥胖患者的心血管疾病。