OBJECTIVETo separate and characterize aqueous extracts of Salvia miltiorrhiza and Carthamus tinctorius to efficient, high-throughput and strong polar components, to observe effects of their aqueous effective components compatibility on rat myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury.

METHODMyocardial ischemic reperfusion injury model were established on SD rats by 40 min ligation of the left anterior descending artery and 120 min reperfusion. The rats were injected experimental drugs intravenously from femoral vein after 10 min ischemia. Rats were randomly divided into sham group (the suture around the left anterior descending coronary artery was not tied), model group, Danhong injection group (content of protocatechualdehyde is 0.05 g x L(-1), injection dosage equivalent to 1.80 g x kg(-1)), aqueous effective component of S. miltiorrhiza group (content of salvianolic acid B is 49 g x L(-1), injection dosage equivalent to 30.68 g x kg(-1)), aqueous effective component of S. miltiorrhiza group (content of hydroxysafflor yellow A is 31.76 g x L(-1), injection dosage equivalent to 17.87 g x kg(-1)), aqueous effective components compatibility of S. miltiorrhizae and C. tinctorius group (injection dosage is respectively 24.28 g x kg(-1) and 48.55 g x kg(-1)), each group have ten rats. Drugs were diluted with an equal dose of normal saline. The rats of sham group and model group were injected equivalent dosage of saline. The myocardial infarction size and the contents of serum cTnT and CK-MB were detected. The level of TXB2, 6-keto-PGF(1alpha) and platelet aggregation in blood plasma were investigated.

RESULTCompared with sham group, serum cTnT and CK-MB contents in model group increased significantly (P < 0.01). Compared with model group, myocardial infarction size and serum cTnT and CK-MB contents in aqueous effective component of S. miltiorrhiza group, aqueous effective component of C. tinctorius group and aqueous effective components compatibility of S. miltiorrhiza and C. tinctorius groups decreased significantly. Aqueous effective component of S. miltiorrhiza increased the level of 6-ke-to-PGF(1alpha), as well as decreased content of TXB2 and inhibited platelet aggregation (P < 0.01). Aqueous effective component of C. tinctorius also decreased the content TXB2 (P < 0.01). Improved extent of some detected markers in aqueous effective components compatibility of S. miltiorrhiza and C. tinctorius groups were better than that of Danhong injection group.

CONCLUSIONEffective components compatibility of aqueous extracts from S. miltiorrhiza and C. tinctorius may reduce myocardial infarct size and leakage of myocardial enzyme, and increase the level of 6-keto-PGF1alpha, so as to inhibit platelet aggregation and prevent thrombosis, the result of which is to reduce myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury.