Danshen improves damaged cardiac angiogenesis and cardiac function induced by myocardial infarction by modulating HIF1α/VEGFA signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE

The traditional Chinese medicinal Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), has long been used to treat cardiovascular diseases, however, the mechanism underlying its effects remain unclear. Here, this study would to investigate the effects of Danshen injection on myocardial infarction-induced cardiac damage.

METHODS

Danshen was injected into mice models at low dose (3 g/kg per day) or at high dose (6 g/kg per day) after left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) ligation. After 4 weeks, cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography. Paraffin sections of the hearts were used for isolectin GS-IB4 staining. Protein and mRNA expression levels of HIF1α and VEGFA were evaluated by western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTS

The hearts showed significantly impaired angiogenesis and slightly increase of HIF1α and VEGFA expression after LAD ligation. The angiogenesis defect and heart failure were partially rescued in Danshen treatment mice with great increase of HIF1α and VEGFA mRNA levels and protein expression.

CONCLUSIONS

These results illustrated that the protective effects of Danshen injection in responsive cardiac angiogenesis were at least in part due to increased HIF1α and VEGFA expression.