Qishen Granule Attenuates Cardiac Fibrosis by Regulating TGF-β /Smad3 and GSK-3β Pathway

ConclusionQSG improves cardiac function through inhibiting cardiac fibrosis. The anti-fibrotic effects are potentially mediated by the inhibition of the TGF-β/Smad3 pathway and the phosphorylation of GSK-3β.Graphical abstractTGF-β1 causes cardiac fibrosis by stimulating Smad3 and PI3K-Akt-GSK-3β signaling pathways. TGF-β1 phosphorylates and activates the highly-conserved cytoplasmic proteins of the SMADs family, and PI3K-Akt-GSK-3β pathway, thereby regulating the expression of the related genes leading to fibrosis. GSK-3β may inhibit TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway by suppressing Smad3 activity. QSG could inhibit TGF-β1/Smad3 and PI3K-Akt-GSK-3β signaling pathways, and its inhibitive effect on Smad3 may partly relay on the activation of GSK-3β.
Source: Phytomedicine - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research