Chinese Herbal Medicine Alleviates Thyroidectomy-Induced Cardiopulmonary Exercise Dysfunction in Rats

Hypothyroidism frequently causes cardiopulmonary dysfunction, such as heart failure and respiratory and metabolic deficiencies. This study investigated the effects of Chinese herbal formula B307 on thyroidectomy-induced cardiopulmonary exercise dysfunction in rats. Twenty male rats were equally divided into four groups: negative control with sham treatment, positive control with oral B307 treatment only, thyroidectomy treatment only, and thyroidectomy with B307 posttreatment groups. The feeding dose of B307 was 50 mg/kg per day for 14 days. We examined and then compared the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (T4), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the blood of these four groups. Also, we compared the body weight, neck subcutaneous blood flow, cardiac ejection function, cardiopulmonary exercise function of oxygen consumption (VO₂), carbon dioxide production (VCO₂), and respiratory quotient (RQ = VCO₂/VO₂) among the four groups. Our results indicated that thyroidectomized rats had significantly decreased body weight, neck subcutaneous blood flow, cardiac ejection function, serum T3 and T4, and VO₂ and VCO₂, but had significantly increased ROS and TSH levels and RQ values compared with sham rats (P<0.01-0.05). In addition, thyroidectomized rats receiving oral B307 treatment had significantly increased body weight, neck subcutaneous blood flow, cardiac ejection function, and VO₂, but significantly decreased ROS and TSH levels and VCO₂ and RQ values compared with thyroidectomized rats (P<0.01-0.05). We suggest that the B307 could be a protective and beneficial alternative treatment for thyroidectomy-induced cardiopulmonary exercise dysfunction.