Caffeoylxanthiazonoside (CYT) is an active constituent isolated from the fruit of the Xanthium strumarium L plant. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cardioprotective effects of
oral administration of CYT on chronic
heart failure (CHF) and its underlying mechanisms. A rat model of CHF was first established, and cardiac function indices, including the heart/
body weight index, left heart/
body weight index, fractional shortening (FS), ejection fraction (EF), cardiac output (CO) and heart rate (HR), were subsequently determined by cardiac ultrasound. Serum levels of
lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and
creatine kinase (CK), and the levels of pro-inflammatory
cytokines, including
tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α,
interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β in heart tissues and cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) were determined using ELISA. In addition, the
protein expression levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway members were determined by western blotting in CMECs. The results demonstrated that
oral administration of 10, 20, 40 mg/kg CYT significantly reduced
cardiac hypertrophy and reversed FS, EF, CO and HR when compared with CHF model rats. In addition, CYT administration significantly decreased the levels of TNF-α,
IL-6 and IL-1β in heart tissues, as well as serum LDH and CK levels. Furthermore, exposure of CMECs to 20, 40 and 80 µg/ml CYT significantly decreased the production of TNF-α, IL-1β and
IL-6. The
protein expression levels of cytoplasmic NF-κB p65 and IκB were upregulated, while nuclear NF-κB p65 was downregulated following treatment of CMECs with 20, 40 and 80 µg/ml CYT when compared with untreated CHF model controls. In conclusion, the results of the current study suggest that CYT demonstrates cardioprotective effects in CHF model rats by suppressing the expression of pro-inflammatory
cytokines and the NF-κB signaling pathway.