TY - JOUR AB - Chronic heart failure affects myocardial energy metabolism and cardiac function. Puerarin has been reported to improve cardiac function through regulation of energy metabolism in mice with myocardial infarction. The aim of the current study was to determine whether puerarin can improve body weight and reduce inflammation and apoptosis in rats with chronic heart failure. Rats were divided into three groups: Puerarin, PBS and sham group. Transverse aortic constriction was performed to induce chronic heart failure in the puerarin an PBS groups. Cardiac function, apoptosis and inflammation were evaluated following a 4‑week treatment in rats with chronic heart failure. The results demonstrated that puerarin significantly increased the survival rate of rats and improved cardiac function compared with the PBS group. In addition, puerarin decreased lactate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase activity compared with the PBS group. Puerarin treatment increased the expression levels of glucose transporter type 4 and decreased the expression levels of CD36. Additionally, puerarin decreased the levels inflammatory factors, including tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin (IL)‑1β and IL‑6 in serum and myocardial tissue compared with the PBS group. Puerarin upregulated peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor α (PPARα) and its downstream target genes nuclear respiratory factor 1, FOS proto‑oncogene, YY1 transcription factor, acetyl‑coenzyme A carboxylase a, Fas cell surface death receptor, L‑type pyruvate kinase and acetyl‑coenzyme A dehydrogenase medium chain in myocardial cells from rats with chronic heart failure. These results demonstrated that puerarin inhibited apoptosis and inflammation in myocardial cells via the PPARα pathway. In conclusion, the present study indicated that puerarin may exhibit antiapoptotic and anti‑inflammatory activity through the PPARα pathway in rats with chronic heart failure. AD - Department of Cardiology, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin 300222, P.R. China Department of Endocrinology, Tianjin Yellow River Hospital, Tianjin 300110, P.R. China AU - He,Le AU - Wang,Tong AU - Chen,Bing‑Wei AU - Lu,Feng‑Min AU - Xu,Jing DA - 2019/11/01 DO - 10.3892/etm.2019.7984 EP - 3356 IS - 5 JO - Exp Ther Med KW - puerarin chronic heart failure apoptosis inflammation peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor α PY - 2019 SN - 1792-0981 1792-1015 SP - 3347 ST - Puerarin inhibits apoptosis and inflammation in myocardial cells via PPARα expression in rats with chronic heart failure T2 - Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine TI - Puerarin inhibits apoptosis and inflammation in myocardial cells via PPARα expression in rats with chronic heart failure UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.7984 VL - 18 ER -