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.