Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae (SM) and Lignum Dalbergiae odoriferae (DO) are traditional Chinese medicinal herbs used to treat
ischemic heart disease and other
cardiovascular diseases; however, to the best of our knowledge, there are currently few studies regarding their effects. The present study aimed to investigate the cardioprotective effects of SM and DO during
myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury in rats, and explore the molecular mechanisms that underlie their actions. In the present study, Sprague‑Dawley rats were pretreated with SM, the aqueous extract of DO (DOA) and the
volatile oil of DO (DOO), either as a monotherapy or in combination for 7 days. Subsequently, the rats were subjected to 30 min of
ischemia followed by 180 min of reperfusion. Traditional pharmacodynamic evaluation and metabonomics based on gas chromatography/time‑of‑flight mass spectrometry were used to identify the
therapeutic effects of these traditional Chinese medicines. The results revealed that SM, DOA and DOO monotherapies ameliorated cardiac function, and this effect was strengthened further when used in combined
therapies. Among the combined treatments, SM + DOO exhibited the greatest potential (P<0.05) to improve electrocardiogram results and heart rate, reduce the heart weight index and
myocardial infarct size, and decrease the levels of
creatine kinase‑MB and
lactate dehydrogenase. In addition, metabonomics‑based findings, including the principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis score plot of the metabolic state in rat serum, provided confirmation for the aforementioned results, verifying that SM + DOO exerted synergistic therapeutic efficacies to exhibit a greater effect on rats with MI/R injury when compared with the other pretreatment groups. Furthermore, the most effective duration of SM + DOO treatment was 30 min and the least effective duration was 180 min. Treatment with SM + DOO also significantly (P<0.01) reduced the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‑mediated dUTP nick end‑labeling‑positive cells,
tumor necrosis factor‑α andinterleukin‑6 expression, and
malondialdehyde content, and increased the serum and tissue activity of
superoxide dismutase. These results indicated that the combined effects of SM + DOO may be more effective compared with the single pretreatments against MI/R injury in rats. This effect may be achieved partly through anti‑apoptotic,
antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory activities. Therefore, SM + DOO may be considered an effective and promising novel strategy for the prophylaxis and treatment of
ischemic heart disease.