OBJECTIVETo observe the protective effect of combined administration of blood-activating drug and sedative drug on myocardial injury of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rats.

METHODThe acute myocardial infarction (AMI) model was established by occluding the left descending coronary artery of Wistar rats. These rats were further divided into four groups (n = 15 per group): the sham-operated group, the AMI model group, the blood-activating drug group and the combined administration group.

RESULTCompared with the sham-operated group, the AMI model group showed significant decrease in ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) (P < 0.001) and notable increase in the left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter (LVIDd) and left ventricular end-systolic internal diameter (LVIDs) (P < 0.01), with the infarct area of left ventricular front wall up to about 70%-90%. Besides, tissue was severely replaced by collagen deposition and fibrosis, the sarcomeres disorganized and mitochondrial abnormalized. Compared with the AMI model group, the blood-activating drug group and the combined administration group showed significant increase in the values of EF and FS (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) and obvious reduction in LVIDd and LVIDs (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), with the infarction area of left ventricular front wall up to about 40%-60%. The collagen deposition and myocardium fibrosis, the disorganized sarcomeres and mitochondrial abnormalities relieved significantly. And compared with blood-activating drug group, the combined administration group demonstrated further increase in the values of EF and FS and further decrease in LVIDd and LVIDs (P < 0.05), the collagen deposition and myocardium fibrosis, the disorganized sarcomeres and mitochondrial abnormalities relieved even more in Huoxue plus Anshen prescription group.

CONCLUSIONThe combined administration of blood-activating drug and sedative drug can further improve cardiac structure and function after myocardial ischemia infarction and have an obvious synergistic effect which may be related to sedative drug's effect of resisting lipid peroxide, stabling myocardial cell membrane and mitochondrial membrane and relieving cardiac cell injury.