Targeting Pulmonary Hypertension: Elucidating Sophocarpine's Protective Role via Preclinical Models.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious disease that manifests itself as elevated pressure within the pulmonary arteries. The onset of PH is usually insidious, and if left untreated, it may lead to heart failure and even life-threatening conditions. Recent studies have shown that sophocarpine (SOP) has significant effects on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and hemodynamic improvement, and it may become an emerging drug for the treatment of PH. However, the specific mechanism of action of SOP still requires further experimental validation. METHODS: We established in vivo and in vitro models of PH and treated them with varying concentrations of SOP. To visualize the changes in rats and cells, we used scratch assay, flow cytometry, Western blotting, pulmonary artery pressure measurement, biochemical analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), ultrasound scanning, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and Masson's trichrome staining. RESULTS: Our results showed that SOP significantly alleviated the inflammatory response and apoptosis induced by PH, reduced pulmonary artery pressure, and restored the balance of pulmonary artery remodeling. These effects were found to be effective in alleviating PH. CONCLUSION: Our study provides clear evidence that SOP has a significant protective effect in the PH model and is expected to be a promising therapeutic agent for PH.