Protective effects of traditional Chinese herbal formula Compound Xueshuantong Capsule (CXC) on rats with blood circulation disorders

Compound Xueshuantong Capsule (CXC) is a traditional Chinese herbal formula composed of root of Panax pseudoginseng var. notoginseng (Burkill) G. Hoo & C.L. Tseng, root of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus (Bunge) P.K. Hsiao, root of Salvia miltiorrhiza var. charbonnelii (H. Lév.) C.Y. Wu, and root of Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl. CXC was approved by the China Food and Drug Administration in 2003 (No. Z20030017) based on the positive clinical effect in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The present study was designed to elucidate the mode of action of CXC in the regulation of the haemorheology, blood coagulation, oxidative stress and energy metabolism. Rats were placed in ice-cold water (0–4 °C) for 5 min during the time interval (4 h) between two adrenaline injections to induce blood circulation disorders. Blood was collected from abdominal aorta to detect whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, maximum platelet aggregation rate, erythrocyte aggregation index, red corpuscle electrophoresis index, activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time. Myocardial tissue was homogenized to detect total antioxidant capacity, myeloperoxidase, Na+–K+ ATPase, and Ca2+ ATPase. The results indicated that, in addition to preventing haemorheological disorders, CXC could perform anti-platelet and anticoagulant effects, promote total antioxidant capacity and regulate myocardial energy metabolism, which might partly account for its mechanisms of action against cardiovascular diseases.