Traditional Chinese medicine Tongxinluo stimulates coronary collateral growth in a pig myocardial infarction model

Coronary collaterals were reported improving symptoms as well as prognosis for patients with coronary artery disease. This study aimed to investigate whether traditional Chinese medicine Tongxinluo could stimulate coronary collateral growth in a pig acute myocardial infarction (AMI) model. The AMI model was established by surgically ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Twenty-one Chinese Suzhong pigs were randomly divided into two control groups and two treatment groups taking Tongxinluo of 0.36g.kg - .d - and 0.72g.kg - .d - respectively. Coronary artery angiography (CAG) and left ventriculography were performed to evaluate collaterals and cardiac function 1 month after the treatment, and the density of collateral capillaries of myocardial samples was also counted. The plasma levels of nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were serially determined. The density of capillaries was significantly higher in both low-dose and high-dose Tongxinluo groups than that in the negative control (P < 0.01) and the positive control groups (P < 0.05). Grade III collateral circulation was found in both treatment groups one month after LAD ligation, and the grades of collateral circulations were positively correlated to the Tongxinluo dosages (P = 0.0191). The cardiac function, the plasma levels of NO and ET-1 showed no significant difference among the treatment and positive control groups. This study demonstrated that Tongxinluo stimulates coronary collateral growth in a pig AMI model.