Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effect of
Shenfu injection in a rat model of ischemic
heart failure and explore its mechanism. Methods: A rat model of ischemic
heart failure after
myocardial infarction was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Forty-eight hours after surgery, the rats were intraperitoneally administered
Shenfu injection for 7 weeks. Then, left ventricular fractional shortening and left ventricular ejection fraction were measured using transthoracic echocardiography, whereas heart rate and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure were measured using a MD3000 biosignal acquisition and processing system. The hearts and lungs of the rats were excised and weighed to measure the heart and lung weight indexes. In addition, cardiac histopathological changes were observed via
hematoxylin-
eosin and Masson's trichrome staining, and serum cardiac
troponin content was detected using a cardiac
troponin ELISA kit. Furthermore, matrix-assisted
laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry imaging was used to detect the levels and distribution of small molecules in the hearts of rats with ischemic
heart failure. Results: We found that
Shenfu injection can significantly increase left ventricular fractional shortening and left ventricular ejection fraction in rats with ischemic
heart failure and significantly reduce the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, heart and lung weight indexes, and cardiac
troponin content; improve cardiac tissue morphology; and reduce
infarct size. In addition, the matrix-assisted
laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry imaging results demonstrated that 22:6
phospholipids were predominately distributed in the non-
infarct zone, whereas 20:4
phospholipids tended to concentrate in the
infarct zone.
Shenfu injection significantly reduced
taurine,
glutathione, and
phospholipids levels in the hearts of rats with ischemic
heart failure and primarily changed the distribution of these molecules in the non-
infarct zone. Conclusion:
Shenfu injection induced obvious myocardial protective effects in rats with ischemic
heart failure by stimulating antioxidation and changing the
phospholipid levels and distribution.