Objective To explore the cardioprotective effect of Astragaloside Ⅳ on epirubicin-related cardiotoxicity in rats.

Methods Twenty-four Sprague-Dauley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups (n＝6): control group (blank solvent+normal saline), model group (blank solvent+epirubicin), low-dose Astragaloside Ⅳ group (15 mg/kg Astragaloside Ⅳ+epirubicin) and high-dose Astragaloside Ⅳ group (75 mg/kg Astragaloside Ⅳ+epirubicin). All rats were examined by echocardiography before treatment and at 2, 4 and 6 weeks after treatment. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and fractional area change (FAC) were recorded and evaluated by two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance. The cardiac tissue slices were collected for Masson staining at 6 week after treatment.

Results There was no significant group effect, time effect and interaction effect in LVEF. There was interaction effect in TAPSE (P＝0.011). With the extension of time, the decrease of TAPSE in the model group was more significant than that in other groups (P < 0.05). TAPSE and FAC were significantly different among the four groups (P < 0.001). Compared with the control group, TAPSE and FAC in the model group decreased significantly at 2 week after treatment, and the FAC in the low-dose and high-dose Astragaloside Ⅳ group decreased significantly at 4 and 6 week after treatment, respectively. Masson staining showed that different degrees of collagen fiber deposition in the myocardium, matching the right ventricular systolic dysfunction according to echocardiography.

Conclusion Astragaloside Ⅳ can improve epirubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by alleviating myocardial fibrosis, and the effect of the high-dose is better than the low-dose.