OBJECTIVETo observe the protective effect of Panax Ginseng (PG), Aconitum Carmichaeli (AC), and their combination (PG-AC) on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

METHODSRat's ischemia reperfusion injury model was established by ligating left anterior descending coronary artery for 60 min followed by reperfusion for 240 min. Forty male rats were randomly divided into five groups, the sham operation group, the model group, the three treated groups. The three treated groups were treated with PG, AC and PG-AC respectively by given the drugs 10 min before ischemia reperfusion, and to the sham operation group and the model group, saline was given instead. The infarction area, pathologic changes of myocardial tissue (under light and electron microscopy), activity of creatine phosphokinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum, content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in myocardial tissue were observed to evaluate the protective effect of treatment.

RESULTSThe area of acute myocardial infarction was lesser, activity of LDH and CK were lower in the three treated groups than those in the model group. Content of SOD was significantly higher and that of MDA was markedly lower in the former three than those in the model group. Light and electron microscopic examination showed that the necrotic degeneration and pathologic changes of myocardiocytes in the treated groups were significantly milder than that of the model group. As comparing the effect between the three treated groups, PG-AC showed the best, and insignificant difference was shown between PG and AC.

CONCLUSIONBoth PG and AC, and their combination have obviously protective effects on myocardium against ischemia reperfusion injury, which of PG-AC is superior to that of PG or AC used singly.