Primary Mechanism Study of Flower (Herb) on Myocardial Infarction in Rats.

BACKGROUND

(Burk.) F. H. Chen is one of the most common herbs in China. Because of its good efficacy and little adverse reaction, has been used widely to treat cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

OBJECTIVE

To investigate effects of flower (PN-F) on rats with myocardial infarction (MI).

METHODS

The proximal left anterior descending coronary artery in rats was ligated to induce acute myocardial infarction. Then, animals were randomly assigned to four experimental groups: MI control group, Betaloc control group (with Betaloc 10 mg/kg/d), FD500 (low-dose) group ( flower decoction 500 mg/kg, =10), and FD1000 (high-dose) group ( flower decoction 1000 mg/kg, =10). flower decoction or Betaloc was orally administrated for two to four weeks before and after operation. Sham-operated group was used as a normal untreated group, in which animals were treated with double distilled water, once daily. HE (hematoxylin and eosin) staining, immunofluorescent assay, TUNEL assay, quantitative real-time PCR, and western blot analysis were, respectively, performed to observe morphology, count mean minimal vessels, investigate apoptotic cells, and record gene (HIF-1, VEGFA, and KDR) and protein (Bcl-2 and Bax) expressions.

RESULTS

Two weeks after MI, PN-F significantly enhanced capillary density in the border area of MI, decreased infarct size, improved minimal vessels, suppressed cell apoptosis, and enhanced expressions of genes (HIF-1, VEGFA, and KDR) and proteins (Bcl-2 and Bax).

CONCLUSIONS

PN-F demonstrated a potential herb to treat rats with myocardial infarction through promoting angiogenesis and inhibition of apoptosis in the infarct area.