OBJECTIVETo study the effects and mechanisms of Yiqi Huoxue Compound combined with exercise therapy on the ventricular remodeling of chronic heart failure (CHF) rats after myocardial infarction.

METHODSEight rats were selected from sixty healthy SD rats as the blank control group, and the rest was used to prepare CHF rat model by coronary artery ligation in combination with exhausted swimming and food reducing. The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into five groups, i. e., the model group (n = 8), the Chinese medicine group (n = 8), the Western medicine group (n = 8), the Chinese medicine + exercise group (n = 10), and the exercise group (n = 10). Routine gastrogavage of equal volume distilled water was given to rats in the blank control group and the model group respectively, 3 mL each time. Yiqi Huoxue Compound was given by gastrogavage to rats in the Chinese medicine group and the Chinese medicine + exercise group at the daily dose of 9.2 g crude drug/kg. Lisinopril was given by gastrogavage to rats in the Western medicine group at the daily dose of 1.5 mg crude drug/kg. The medication was administered twice daily for six successive weeks. The Chinese medicine + exercise group and the exercise group adopted exercise therapy, once daily. The myocardial tissue of rats' non-infarcted left ventricle was taken out. mRNA and protein contents of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and collagen type III were detected by Real-time fluorescent quantitation PCR.

RESULTSCompared with the blank control group, the mRNA expression and the average gray value of MMP-1 increased, while those of collagen type III decreased in the model group, showing statistical difference (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the mRNA expression and the average gray value of MMP-1 decreased in the Chinese medicine group, the Western medicine group, and the Chinese medicine + exercise group, showing statistical significance (P<0.01). It was lowest in the Chinese medicine + exercise group. The mRNA expression and the average gray value of collagen type III increased in the Western medicine group and the Chinese medicine + exercise group, showing statistical difference (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSYiqi Huoxue Compound combined wih exercise therapy could attenuate the ventricular remodeling degree. Its mechanism might be to inhibit the MMP-1 expression, improve the expression of collagen type III, thus alleviating and even reversing myocardial fibrosis.