EFFECT OF HONG-HUA (FLOS CARTHAMI) ON THE EXTENT OF MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIA IN THE DIFFERENT INFARCT ZONES FOLLOWING CORONARY OCCLUSION IN THE DOG

Myocardial infarct was produced by occluding the apical branch of the left anteriordescending coronary artery. The effect of the corolla extract of Flos Carthami, the Chinese medicinal plant "Hong-Hua", on the extent of myocardial ischemia was evaluated by means of the epicardial electrographic mapping. During the 15 rain-occlusion the mapping was performed in 5 min interval, then the coronary occlusion was released. After reperfusion for 1 hr, while the Hong-Hua extract was being infused, a second occlusion and mapping was applied again as before@Hong-Hua extract (25%) in a dose of 2 g/kg reduced the average ST segment elevation. In the central infarct zone, 15 min after the first and second occlusion were 7.5±0.6 and 3.3±0.5mV respectively (P<0.001), whereas in the border zone the correspoding values of were 3.5±0.4 and 0.9±0.2mV(P<0.001). Reduction of was more Significant in the border zone than in the central zone (P<0.001).@Hong-Hua extract administered during the second occlusion markedly reduced the number of sites showing equal or greater than 2 mV ST segment elevation (NST) in the border zone as compared with occlusion alone, but NST remained unchanged in the central zone.@After administration of Hong-Hua extract, heart rate decreased from initial value of 164±11 to 144±9 beats/min (P<0.05) and tension-time index from 129.0±6.3 to 116.8±6.3 (P<0.01).@Our data suggest that Hong-Hua may reduce the infarct size following acute coronary occlusion by salving a lot of jeopardized myocardium in the border ischemic zone, and that the reduction of myocardial oxygen consumption was involved in the beneficial action of Hong-Hua.