Cardiotonic pills, a compound Chinese medicine, protects ischemia-reperfusion-induced microcirculatory disturbance and myocardial damage in rats.
Cardiotonic pills (CP) is a compound Chinese medicine widely used in China, as well as other countries, for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, limited data are available regarding the mechanism of action of CP on myocardial function during ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. In this study, we examined the effect of CP on I/R-induced coronary microcirculatory disturbance and myocardial damage. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to left coronary anterior descending branch occlusion for 30 min followed by reperfusion with or without pretreatment with CP (0.1, 0.4, or 0.8 g/kg). Coronary blood flow, vascular diameter, velocity of red blood cells, and albumin leakage were evaluated in vivo after reperfusion. Neutrophil expression of CD18, malondialdehyde, inhibitor-kappaBalpha, myocardial infarction, endothelial expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1, apoptosis-related proteins, and histological and ultrastructural evidence of myocardial damage were assessed after reperfusion. Pretreatment with CP (0.8 g/kg) significantly attenuated the I/R-induced myocardial microcirculatory disturbance, including decreased coronary blood flow and red blood cell velocity in arterioles, increased expression of CD18 on neutrophils and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 on endothelial cells, and albumin leakage from venules. In addition, the drug significantly ameliorated the I/R-induced myocardial damage and apoptosis indicated by increased malondialdehyde, infarct size, myocardial ultrastructural changes, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling-positive myocardial cells, inhibitor-kappaBalpha degradation, and expression of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 in myocardial tissues. The results provide evidence for the potential role of CP in preventing microcirculatory disturbance and myocardial damage following I/R injury.
Zhao
Na
N
Tasly Microcirculation Research Center, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Liu
Yu-Ying
YY
Wang
Fang
F
Hu
Bai-He
BH
Sun
Kai
K
Chang
Xin
X
Pan
Chun-Shui
CS
Fan
Jing-Yu
JY
Wei
Xiao-Hong
XH
Li
Xiang
X
Wang
Chuan-She
CS
Guo
Zhi-Xin
ZX
Han
Jing-Yan
JY
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D018821:CD18 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000187:drug effects*; D023421:Models, Animal; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism
D018821:CD18 Antigens; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins; C000606206:Nfkbia protein, rat; D012709:Serum Albumin; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D008315:Malondialdehyde