Protective effects of Salvia miltiorrhizae on the hearts of rats with severe acute pancreatits or obstructive jaundice.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Salvia miltiorrhizae (Danshen) in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP)- or obstructive jaundice (OJ)-induced heart injury.


METHODS
A total of 288 rats were used for SAP- (n=108) and OJ-associated (n=180) experiments. The rats were randomly divided into sham-operated, model control, and Salvia miltiorrhizae-treated groups. According to the difference of time points after operation, SAP rats in each group were subdivided into 3, 6 and 12 h subgroups (n=12), whereas OJ rats were subdivided into 7, 14, 21, and 28 d subgroups (n=15). At the corresponding time points after operation, the mortality rates of the rats, the contents of endotoxin and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in blood, and pathological changes of the hearts were investigated.


RESULTS
The numbers of dead SAP and OJ rats in the treated groups declined as compared with those in the model control group, but not significantly (P>0.05). The contents of endotoxin (at 6 and 12 h in SAP rats and on 7, 14, 21, and 28 d in OJ rats, respectively) and PLA2 (at 6 and 12 h in SAP rats and on 28 d in OJ rats, respectively) in the treated group were significantly lower than those in the model control group (P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively). Besides, myocardial pathological injuries were mitigated in SAP and OJ rats.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we found that Salvia miltiorrhizae improved myocardial pathological changes, reduced the content of PLA2 in blood, and decreased the mortality rates of SAP and OJ rats, exerting protective effects on the hearts of the rats.
Zhang
Xi-ping
XP
Department of General Surgery, Centralab, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, and The First College of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China. zxp99688@vip.163.com
Feng
Guang-hua
GH
Zhang
Jie
J
Cai
Yang
Y
Tian
Hua
H
Zhang
Xiao-feng
XF
Zhou
Yi-feng
YF
Wang
Zhi-wei
ZW
Wang
Ke-yi
KY
D000818:Animals; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000097:blood; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D041781:Jaundice, Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D054467:Phospholipases A2 / Q000378:metabolism; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D027544:Salvia / Q000737:chemistry*; D015996:Survival Rate
D004731:Endotoxins; D054467:Phospholipases A2