Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang ameliorates coronary artery ligation-induced myocardial ischemia in rats

Dang The present study was designed to investigate cardioprotective effects of Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang (DGBUT) on coronary artery ligation-induced myocardial ischemia. Myocardial ischemia (MI) model was induced in SD rats by surgical ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. ST segment elevation of Electrocardiograph (ECG) infarct size, levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT), catalase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and inflammatory cytokines and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2, p38, c-Jun NH2 terminal kinases (JNK), nuclear factor (NF)-κBp65, inhibitory kappa B (IκB) α, IκB kinase (IKK) α and IKKβ were evaluated in rats treated with or without DGBUT. DGBUT treatment significantly reduced the elevation of the ST segment of ECG, the myocardial infarct size of MI. The level of LDH, CK and MDA were suppressed, the contents of SOD, GSH and CAT were enhanced with DGBUT. The elevated concentration of inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and IL-6 in MI rats were effectively reversed by the DGBUT administration. Also, highly expressed p-JNK, p-ERK, p-p38, p-NF-κBp65, p-IκBα, p-IKKα and p-IKKβ in MI rats were restored respectively by DGBUT treatment.The protective effect of DGBUT against MI injury might be associated with MAPK/NF-кB pathway.