Myocardial ischemia‐reperfusion injury (MIRI) is a major cause of heart failure in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Mitochondrial dysfunction is the crucial factor of MIRI; oxidative stress caused by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) aggravates myocardial cell damage through the mitochondria‐dependent apoptosis pathway. Asiatic acid (AA) is a type of pentacyclic triterpene compound purified from the traditional Chinese medicine Centella asiatica, and its protective pharmacological activities have been reported in various disease models. This study is aimed at investigating the protective effects of AA and the underlying mechanisms in MIRI. To achieve this goal, an animal model of MIRI in vivo and a cell model of oxygen‐glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) in vitro were established. The results show that AA exerts a protective effect on MIRI by improving cardiac function and reducing cardiomyocyte damage. Due to its antioxidant properties, AA alleviates mitochondrial oxidative stress, as evidenced by the stable mitochondrial structure, maintained mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and reduced ROS generation, otherwise due to its antiapoptotic properties. AA inhibits the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK)/mitochondria‐dependent apoptosis pathway, as evidenced by the limited phosphorylation of p38‐MAPK and JNK‐MAPK, balanced proportion of Bcl‐2/Bax, reduced cytochrome c release, inhibition of caspase cascade, and reduced apoptosis. In conclusion, our study confirms that AA exerts cardiac‐protective effects by regulating ROS‐induced oxidative stress via the MAPK/mitochondria‐dependent apoptosis pathway; the results provide new evidence that AA may represent a potential treatment for CHD patients.

Resveratrol is a kind of iPolyphenols widely existing in herbal medicine. Here we aim to investigate whether resveratrol can reduce the degree of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury and inhibit the development of oxidative stress, and elucidate the molecular mechanism of resveratrol in protecting myocardial cells. The primary rat cardiomyocytes were used to establish an ischemia/reperfusion model in vitro, and a series of routine biochemical experiments were conducted to explore the antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects of resveratrol in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Compared with that of the simulated ischemia-refusion (SIR) group, cell viability in the SIR and resveratrol co-treatment groups increased significantly (P < 0.001), the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase MB (CKMB) decreased, the positive rate of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cardiomyocytes decreased, and the concentration of catalase and glutathione peroxidase increased significantly (P < 0.001). Besides, resveratrol can activate PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. PI3K siRNA can inhibit the PI3K/AKT signaling mediated by resveratrol. The addition of resveratrol can significantly increase the activity of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduce the malondialdehyde (MDA), which indicates that the oxidative damage of mitochondria induced by resveratrol was significantly weakened. The mitochondrial functional changes induced by resveratrol can be reversed by PI3K siRNA. In conclusion, our study shows that resveratrol can reduce ROS in cardiomyocytes by PI3K/AKT signaling pathway activation, and effectively inhibit the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, thus having a direct protective effect on cardiomyocytes under SR.

Cardiac fibrosis is a heterogeneous disease, which is characterized by abundant proliferation of interstitial collagen, disordered arrangement, collagen network reconstruction, increased cardiac stiffness, and decreased systolic and diastolic functions, consequently developing into cardiac insufficiency. With several factors participating in and regulating the occurrence and development of cardiac fibrosis, a complex molecular mechanism underlies the disease. Moreover, cardiac fibrosis is closely related to hypertension, myocardial infarction, viral myocarditis, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, which can lead to serious complications such as heart failure, arrhythmia, and sudden cardiac death, thus seriously threatening human life and health. Resveratrol, with the chemical name 3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, is a polyphenol abundantly present in grapes and red wine. It is known to prevent the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, it may resist cardiac fibrosis through a variety of growth factors, cytokines, and several cell signaling pathways, thus exerting a protective effect on the heart.

Poor cell engraftment rate is one of the primary factors limiting the effectiveness of cell transfer therapy for cardiac repair. Recent studies have shown that the combination of cell-based therapy and tissue engineering technology can improve stem cell engraftment and promote the therapeutic effects of the treatment for myocardial infarction. This mini-review summarizes the recent progress in cardiac tissue engineering of cardiovascular cells from differentiated human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), highlights their therapeutic applications for the treatment of myocardial infarction, and discusses the present challenges of cardiac tissue engineering and possible future directions from a clinical perspective.

Objectives: The effect of postoperative thrombocytopenia on adverse events among coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between postoperative thrombocytopenia and perioperative outcomes of CABG.Methods: This is a retrospective study with MIMIC-III (Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III) database. Adult patients who underwent CABG were included to analyze the impact of thrombocytopenia in patients' outcomes. Postoperative thrombocytopenia was defined as a platelet count <100 × 10⁹/L on the first day after CABG surgery. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was utilized to adjust the effect of thrombocytopenia on outcomes for baseline and covariates, and to determine the association with outcomes.Results: A total of 4,915 patients were included, and postoperative thrombocytopenia occurred in 696 (14.2%) patients. Postoperative thrombocytopenia was not associated with increased 28-day mortality (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.33–1.72; P = 0.496) or in-hospital mortality (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.34–1.63; P = 0.463) after adjusting for confounders. Regarding the secondary outcomes, it was associated with a higher risk of a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.18–1.97; P = 0.001), prolonged hospital stays (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.21–2.06; P = 0.001), prolonged mechanical ventilation time (OR 1.67; 95% CI 1.14–2.44; P = 0.009), and a trend toward increased occurrence of massive bleeding (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.00–2.01; P = 0.054). There was no significant association between an increased risk of prolonged vasopressor use and the continuous renal replacement therapy rate.Conclusions: Postoperative thrombocytopenia was associated with prolonged ICU and hospital stays but not with increased perioperative mortality among CABG patients.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent malignancy in women. The emergence of targeted therapies and advancements in comprehensive treatment protocols have significantly improved survival outcomes for patients with early-stage BC. However, individuals with refractory BC, particularly those who have received multiple lines of therapy or presented with distant metastases at diagnosis, continue to face challenges due to the limitations of conventional antibodies and cytotoxic agents in meeting therapeutic needs. Thus, the development of novel and effective treatments for BC, along with strategies to prevent recurrence, remains an urgent priority. Research has shown that nanodrug delivery systems can modify the pharmacokinetic profiles of traditional chemotherapeutic agents, thereby markedly reducing adverse drug reactions. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that innovative approaches, such as hyaluronic acid-based systems, ultrasound-mediated microbubbles, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), enable targeted and controlled drug release, offering advantages including high drug efficacy, reduced toxicity, and significant antitumor effects. Among these, ADCs have gained increasing attention in BC therapy over recent years. This article provides a comprehensive review of the development and progress of various drug delivery systems in BC treatment, offering an in-depth analysis of their potential applications in clinical practice.