Reconstitution of gut microbiota by medicinal plant isoflavones ameliorates heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
Lin J, Zhu Q, Wang T, Sun J, Yin R
Gut Microbiome
Kudzu — the aggressive vine smothering trees along roadsides across the American South — harbors root compounds that rewire gut bacteria in ways that actively protect the heart.
Scientists tested an extract from kudzu root on mice that had developed a hard-to-treat type of heart failure. The extract changed which bacteria lived in the mice's guts, and those bacteria then produced healthier chemicals that reduced inflammation and helped the heart relax and pump more normally. The results suggest that a plant most people consider a landscape pest is quietly carrying genuine medicinal potential inside its roots.
Key Findings
Kudzu isoflavone extract significantly improved left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and reduced hypertension in a high-fat-diet/L-NAME mouse model of heart failure
Treatment increased beneficial gut-derived metabolites (butyrate and S-equol) while reducing harmful heart-linked compounds trimethyllysine (TML) and phenylacetylglycine (PAGly)
Kudzu isoflavones activated estrogen receptor β and the downstream eNOS-cGMP-PKG cardioprotective signaling axis while simultaneously suppressing the pro-inflammatory MAPK pathway
chevron_right Technical Summary
Compounds extracted from kudzu root improved heart function in mice with a common form of heart failure by reshaping gut bacteria and shifting their metabolic output toward heart-protective molecules. The findings position kudzu isoflavones as credible drug candidates for a condition that currently has few treatment options.
Abstract Preview
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous syndrome with limited therapeutic options. Gut microbiota and microbiota-derived metabolites impact the progression and sev...
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Kudzu, also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot, is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands. It is invasive in many parts of the world, primarily North America.