Aim. To determine the effect of a Chinese herbal compound named
Wenxin Granule on
ventricular remodeling and myocardial apoptosis in rats with
myocardial infarction (MI). Methods. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups: the control group, the model group, the
metoprolol group, and the
Wenxin Granule group (WXKL group) with sample size (n) of 7 rats in each group. An MI model was established in all rats by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (the control group was without occlusion).
Wenxin Granule (1.35 g/kg/day),
metoprolol (12 mg/kg/day), and distilled water (5 mL/kg/day for the control and model groups) were administered orally for 4 weeks. Ultrasonic echocardiography was used to examine cardiac structural and functional parameters. Myocardial histopathological changes were observed using haematoxylin and
eosin (H&E) dyeing. Myocardial apoptosis was detected by
terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Serum
angiotensin II (Ang II) concentration was measured using the
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results. It was found that
Wenxin Granule could partially reverse
ventricular remodeling, improve heart function, alleviate the histopathological damage, inhibit myocardial apoptosis, and reduce Ang II concentration in rats with MI. Conclusions. The results of the current study suggest that
Wenxin Granule may be a potential alternative and
complementary medicine for the treatment of MI.