Ischemic heart diseases (IHDs) cause great morbidity and mortality worldwide, necessitating effective treatment.
Salvianic acid A sodium (SAAS) is an active compound derived from the well-known herbal medicine Danshen, which has been widely used for clinical treatment of
cardiovascular diseases in China. This study aimed to confirm the cardioprotective effects of SAAS in rats with
myocardial infarction and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms based on
proteome and transcriptome profiling of myocardial tissue. The results showed that SAAS effectively protected against myocardial injury and improved cardiac function. The differentially expressed
proteins and genes included important structural molecules, receptors,
transcription factors, and cofactors. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that SAAS participated in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton, phagosome, focal adhesion, tight junction, apoptosis, MAPK signaling, and Wnt signaling pathways, which are closely related to
cardiovascular diseases. SAAS may exert its cardioprotective effect by targeting multiple pathways at both the
proteome and transcriptome levels. This study has provided not only new insights into the pathogenesis of
myocardial infarction but also a road map of the cardioprotective molecular mechanisms of SAAS, which may provide pharmacological evidence to aid in its clinical application.