Activation of the nucleus nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a signaling by Yueju pill confers cardioprotective and antidepressant effects.
J, Y., YE, Z., Z, Y., G, X., C, X., W, K., H, D., HU, Y., & J, J. (2026). Activation of the nucleus nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a signaling by Yueju pill confers cardioprotective and antidepressant effects.. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan. https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.03.001
J Y, YE Z, Z Y, G X, C X, W K, et al. Activation of the nucleus nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a signaling by Yueju pill confers cardioprotective and antidepressant effects.. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan. 2026; doi: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.03.001
J Y, YE Z, Z Y, et al. Activation of the nucleus nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a signaling by Yueju pill confers cardioprotective and antidepressant effects.[J]. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan. 2026. DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.03.001.
@article{j2026,
author = {Yunjia J and Zhaoyi YE and Yan Z and Xin G and Xi C and Kaixuan W and Dafeng H and Yue HU and Jiancong J},
title = {Activation of the nucleus nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a signaling by Yueju pill confers cardioprotective and antidepressant effects.},
journal = {Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.03.001},
note = {PMID: 42365400},
}
TY - JOUR AU - Yunjia J AU - Zhaoyi YE AU - Yan Z AU - Xin G AU - Xi C AU - Kaixuan W AU - Dafeng H AU - Yue HU AU - Jiancong J TI - Activation of the nucleus nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a signaling by Yueju pill confers cardioprotective and antidepressant effects. T2 - Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan PY - 2026 DO - 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.03.001 AN - PMID:42365400 ER -
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and mechanistic foundations of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Yueju pill (YJP, ) for treating the complex comorbidity of heart failure and depression. METHODS: C57BL/6 male mice were used to establish a robust congestive heart failure (CHF) model with concomitant depressive manifestations. Echocardiographic assessments were conducted to evaluate cardiac structure and function in the mice. Depression-related behavioral tests and the detection of monoamine neurotransmitters were performed to assess the antidepressant-like effectiveness of YJP. Western blot analysis was conducted to measure the expression levels of key components in the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2)/heme oxygenase 1 (HO1) antioxidant pathway, NRF2/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pathway, and ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R)1a pathway in the myocardium and hippocampus. To explore the mechanistic role of the ghrelin/GHS-R1a pathway, the ghrelin receptor antagonist D-Lys3-growth hormone-releasing peptide-6 was introduced to enable the iterative evaluation of the aforementioned parameters. RESULTS: YJP improved cardiac dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis and markedly ameliorated depressive behaviors. It also improved neuron damage, boosted the growth of dendritic spines to enhance synaptic plasticity, and alleviated monoamine neurotransmitter imbalances. Additionally, the NRF2/BDNF, ghrelin/GHS-R1a, and NRF2/HO1 antioxidant pathways were promoted by YJP, with the increased expression of key components of the three pathways. The addition of a GHS-R1a antagonist impaired the antidepressant and cardioprotective effects of YJP. CONCLUSIONS: YJP effectively improved cardiac dysfunction and depressive-like behaviors in mice by activating NRF2 viamediation of the ghrelin/GHS-R1a signaling axis within both the myocardial and hippocampal domains.