OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect and its possible mechanisms of Danhong Injection (DHI) on cerebral injury during coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operation with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

METHODSFifty patients went to CABG with CPB were randomly assigned equally to two groups, the control group and the tested group. DHI 1.5 mL/kg was pumped to where the tested group at the times of aortic pre-charging and unclamping respectively, but to the control group, equal volume of normal saline was given instead. Blood samples were taken from jugular bulb at different time points, i. e. before operation (T1, baseline), re-warming to 36 degrees C (T2 ), 30 min (T3 ) and 6 h (T4) after terminating CPB, for determination levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity using xanthine oxidase method, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration using thiobarbituric method, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), as well as interleukin-6, -8 using radioimmunoassay and -10 (IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10) using ELISA.

RESULTSLevel of SOD activity significantly decreased during (T2) and after CPB (T3 and T4) in the control group, as compared to the T1 (P < 0.01), but it was unchanged in the tested group; level of MDA increased during and after CPB in both groups (P < 0.01), but more significantly in the control group (P < 0.05), so comparison after CPB between the two groups showed a higher SOD and lower MDA level in the tested group. Plasma levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 significantly increased in both groups after CPB (T3 and T4, P < 0.01) as compared to the T1, but the comparison between groups showed lower plasma TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-8 levels at T3 and T4, and higher IL-10 level at T4 in the test group (P < 0.01). All patients had stable life signs with no occurrence of adverse reaction.

CONCLUSIONDHI has obvious protective effect on cerebral injury in patients undergoing CABG with CPB, the mechanisms may be associated with the actions of anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation and regulation on immune factors.