The study aimed at testing the hypothesis that tongxinluo capsule might exert its cardioprotective effect by preventing ventricular remodeling and improving coronary microvascular function in a rat model of doxorubicin-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Rats that survived DCM induction were randomly divided into three groups to be given 1.5 g·kg−1·day−1(TXL-H,n=9) or 0.15 g·kg−1·day−1(TXL-L,n=10) of tongxinluo, or normal saline at the same volume (DCM-C,n=10) intragastrically. Age matched normal rats treated with normal saline were used as normal controls (NOR-C,n=9). After four weeks of treatment, the DCM-C, TXL-H, and TXL-L groups exhibited significant cardiac dysfunction, left ventricular remodeling, and coronary microvascular dysfunction, compared with the NOR-C rats. However, myocardial functional parameters were significantly improved and microvascular density (MVD) increased in the TXL-H group compared with the DCM-C group (allP<0.01). Left ventricular remodeling was prevented. There were close linear relationships between CVF and LVEF (r=-0.683,P<0.05), MVD and LVEF (r=0.895,P<0.05), and MVD and CVF (r=-0.798,P<0.05). It was indicated that high-dose tongxinluo effectively improved cardiac function in rat model of DCM.
Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction, Left Ventricular Remodeling, and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Impairment
