Abstract:

BACKGROUND: New ideas for regenerative treatment of cardiovascular disease are as follows: to understand the changes in all kinds of stem cells differentiating into cardiomyocytes, to determine the physiological role of differentiated stem cells in cardiac functional activities, to stimulate the proliferative potential of various stem cells under certain conditions that can directly differentiate into functional cardiomyocytes, thereby replenishing deficient cardiomyocytes and effectively inhibiting excessive proliferation of fibroblasts.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of panax notoginseng saponins, salidroside and astragalus effective components on the homing, proliferation and differentiation of endogenous CD105-positive bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells of myocardial infarction rats.
METHODS: Acute myocardial infarction rats were randomly divided into activating blood circulation group, tonifying qi group, activating blood circulation+tonifying qi group (combined group), model group. Normal rats served as control group. The former three groups were orally given 80 g/L Xuesaitong soft capsules (panax notoginseng saponins as the main component), 0.5 g/mL astragalus particles and 70 g/L Nuodikang capsules (salidroside as the main component), respectively, at a dose of 1 mL/100 g, once a day, totally for 28 days. The control and model groups were given the same volume of normal saline. Expressions of CD105, CD117, vimentin, cardiac troponin T (cTnT), zinc finger transcription factor 4 (GATA-4) and Ki-67 were detected using immunohistochemical method at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 days of drug administration.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Compared with the control group, the expressions of CD105, CD117, cTnT, GATA-4 and Ki-67 were higher in the model group, which were increased at 1-7 days, peaked at 7 days, and then decreased. Compared with the model group, the expressions of CD105, CD117, cTnT, GATA-4 and Ki-67 were significantly higher in the activating blood circulation group, tonifying qi group and combined group, especially in the activating blood circulating group, at different time of drug administration (P < 0.05). In each group, the staining results of Ki-67 were not exactly parallel to those of CD105, CD117, cTnT and GATA-4, but their rising tendency was substantially the same. (2) Compared with the control group, the vimentin expression in the model group was higher, which showed an increasing tend at 1-3 days, peaked at 3 days and then declined. Compared with the model group, the vimentin expression was significantly lower in the activating blood circulation group, tonifying qi group and combined group, especially in the activating blood circulating group, at different time of drug administration (P < 0.05). It suggested that the activating blood circulation group had a remarkable antifibrotic role. These findings indicate that panax notoginseng saponins, salidroside and astragalus effective components all can promote the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to delay myocardial remodeling, but the recipe for promoting blood circulation has the most obvious outcomes. 

 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：干细胞；骨髓干细胞；造血干细胞；脂肪干细胞；肿瘤干细胞；胚胎干细胞；脐带脐血干细胞；干细胞诱导；干细胞分化；组织工程

Key words: Myocardial Infarction, Bone Marrow, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Panax notoginseng, Rhodiola, Astragalus membranaceus