OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of rhodiola on expression of vascular endothelial growth factors receptors (VEGFR) in myocardium of rats after myocardial infarction.

METHODSOn the basis of successful establishment of myocardial infarction rat model, the experimental animals were divided into the model group, the rhodiola group, the positive control group and the sham-operated group, they were sacrificed after 6 weeks feeding. Their hearts were resected and embedded in paraffin to make sections with standard immunohistochemistry stain. Then the stained slices were analyzed in the IMS cell imagine analysis system using immunohistochemical quantitative analysis software. The field of vision of left ventricular myocardial tissue in three sites selected from the marginal area of infarction in each slice were determined, the mean value was then converted to positive area. Meanwhile, the mean optical density (OD) was calculated and the various expressions of VEGFR, i.e. Flt-1, KDR and angiopoietin receptor (Tie-2) were measured.

RESULTSThe expressions of Flt-1 and Tie-2 in myocardial tissue were significantly increased in the rhodiola treated group after treatment, showing significant difference as compared with those in the positive control group and the model group (P < 0.05). The expression of KDR in myocardium after rhodiola intervention was higher than that in the sham-operated and nonintervened group (P < 0.05), but insignificantly different to that in the positive control group and model group.

CONCLUSIONRhodiola could improve angiogenesis to ameliorate myocardial ischemia by regulating the expression of Flt-1 and Tie-2 in ischemic myocardium.