title: [Experimental studies on improving heart preservation effect of Astragalus saponins].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effect of heart preservation of Astragalus saponins (AS) in modified Euro-Collins solution (mEC) containing AS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Wistar rats were randomly divided into mEC and AS group. After preserving isolated rat hearts 6 hours by simple cold storage with mEC and mEC containing AS respectively, Langendorff's isolated rat heart model was used to reperfuse for 30 minutes to study cardiac function after preservation and the effect of preventing oxygen free radical injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To compare AS group with mEC group, cardiac function and coronary flow of the hearts after preservation were better than mEC group (P < 0.05), in AS group the water content of myocardium was decreased very significantly (P < 0.01), myocardial lactate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase release were reduced greatly (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01), myocardial superoxide dismutase activity was increased very significantly (P < 0.01) and the content of lipid peroxide was decreased significantly (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AS could improve the effect of heart preservation of mEC solution, its mechanism might be associated with the effect of negative contractile strength and preventing oxygen free radical injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D027883:Astragalus Plant; D027885:Astragalus propinquus; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009926:Organ Preservation; D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012503:Saponins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions; D012503:Saponins; C027492:Huang Qi