The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory profiling of the Chinese herbal formula
Sini Tang (SNT) in
myocardial infarction (MI) rats. SNT, a decoction consisting of four herbs: Aconitum carmichaelii, Cinnamomum cassia, Zingiber officinale, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis, was characterized as a remedy to treat syndromes corresponding to
heart failure and MI in China. Potential
biomarkers, which reflect the extent of myocardial
necrosis and correlate with cardiac outcomes following MI, such as
atrial natriuretic peptide (
ANP),
high sensitivity C-reactive protein (
hs-CRP), and proinflammatory
cytokines such as
tumor necrosis factor- α ,
interleukin-6, and
interleukin-1 β (TNF- α , IL-6, and IL-1 β ) were determined in plasma, serum, and in myocardial tissue of MI rats
after treatment with SNT. Our data indicate that SNT decreased significantly the levels of
hs-CRP, TNF- α ,
IL-6, and
IL-1 β in MI rats. SNT decreased the expression of
ANP levels in plasma and increased the vascular active marker
nitric oxide, which limits vascular
inflammation. In addition, SNT could decrease the expression of
endothelin-1 levels in rat plasma post-MI. Our data suggest that the Chinese herbal formula SNT has the potential to improve cardiac function after MI. SNT may be a candidate for treating MI and its associated inflammatory responses.