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Updated: Sep 17, 2025
A Doxorubicin-induced Cardiomyopathy Model in Adult Zebrafish
Published on: June 7, 2018
Traditional Chinese medicine protects against doxorubicin cardiotoxicity via epigenetic modification and beyond
Jingquan Zhou1, Huan Liu2, Feng Jiang3
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, the NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, PR China.
Background:
Doxorubicin (DOX), a cornerstone chemotherapeutic agent, is plagued by dose-dependent cardiotoxicity that compromises its clinical utility. Despite advances in understanding DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC), effective interventions remain limited. Emerging evidence highlights Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) - with its multi-target epigenetic modulatory potential - as a promising therapeutic strategy.
Purpose:
This review systematically evaluates the epigenetic landscape of DIC pathogenesis and critically summarizes the cardioprotective effects of TCM through epigenetic reprogramming, aiming to bridge mechanistic insights with translational opportunities.
Study-Design/Methods:
Data for this review were sourced from various scientific databases up to March 2025. Search terms include "Doxorubicin", "Adriamycin", "Cardiotoxicity", "DOX-induced cardiotoxicity", "Doxorubicin induced cardiomyopathy", "epigenetic modifications", "Histone Modification", "DNA Methylation", "Noncoding RNAs", "long noncoding RNA", "microRNA", circular RNAs, "inflammation", "ferroptosis", "autophagy", "apoptosis" and "Traditional Chinese Medicine" as well as several combinations thereof. Exclusions comprised non-TCM interventions, studies lacking mechanistic clarity, non-cardiotoxicity endpoints, case reports, or inaccessible data.
Results:
By regulating various signaling pathways including oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy and epigenetic modification, TCM has been positioned as a promising therapeutic strategy in alleviating DIC. We thoroughly review the pathological mechanism of DIC especially the epigenetic modification and further summarize the potential role of TCM. While preclinical data are compelling, clinical trials validating TCM's epigenetic effects (e.g., circulating miRNA biomarkers) are urgently needed.
Conclusion:
This review synthesizes current evidence on TCM's cardioprotective effects via epigenetic modulation, providing a foundation for clinical translation.
