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  4. Vol 8, Issue 1, 2026

Mechanisms of Yangxin Tongmai Formula against Coronary Heart Disease through the Microbiota Gut Heart Axis

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DOI: 10.23977/medcm.2026.080120 | Downloads: 11 | Views: 78

Author(s)

Hang Xu 1, Xing Chen 1, Lingli Chen 1

Affiliation(s)

1 Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China

Corresponding Author

Lingli Chen

ABSTRACT

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Disruptions in the intestinal microbiota can promote the formation of CHD through different inflammatory reactions. Yangxin Tongmai Formula (YTF) has shown beneficial effects in CHD patients. Therefore, we aimed to investigate differences in the gut microbiota between rats with CHD and healthy rats in order to identify new biomarker of gut microbiota for diagnosis and Chinese herbal medicine treatment of CHD. The study cohort included 72 CHD rats and 16 normal rats. The CHD animal models were established and divided into 9 groups, including three YTF groups, four fecal transplantation groups, the atorvastatin calcium group, and the CHD group. All rats were sacrificed after 3.5 months of feeding and experiments, and blood, fecal, heart, and small intestine were samples collected for biochemical and pathological evaluations. The abundance of the intestinal flora was analyzed by bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing. The occludin protein was detected by western blotting. The result display the CHD model was successfully created.Rats that received YTF showed improvements in the lipid indices. The myocardial tissue cells and intestinal tissues in the medium-dose YTF group were basically complete, making it difficult to observe inflammatory response. The transmission electron microscopy results showed that the tight junctions of the medium-dose YTF group was improved. The operational taxonomic unit comparison showed that the abundance of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in CHD rats significantly were improved after treatment with YTF. The abundance of beneficial bacteria in CHD rats was significantly increased (P < 0.01) following fecal bacterial transplantation from normal control rats and rats that underwent the YTF treatment. In comparison with the model control group, the relative expression of occludin protein in the medium-dose YTF group was upregulated (P < 0.05). The abundance of the gut microbiota differed significantly between CHD rats and healthy rats. YTF and fecal transplantation successfully alleviated atherosclerosis by remodeling the gut microbiota and the mechanical barrier function of small intestinal tissue. 

KEYWORDS

CHD; Intestinal flora; Biodiversity; Fecal bacterial transplantation; Microbiota-gut-heart axis

CITE THIS PAPER

Hang Xu, Xing Chen, Lingli Chen. Mechanisms of Yangxin Tongmai Formula against Coronary Heart Disease through the Microbiota Gut Heart Axis. MEDS Chinese Medicine (2026). Vol. 8, No. 1, 172-187. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/medcm.2026.080120.

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