BACKGROUND: Protocatechuic aldehyde treats oxidative stress, inflammation, and calcium imbalance, which cause arterial calcification, while vitamin E functions at oxidative stress, inflammation, immune disorders, and abnormal blood lipid, which also cause arterial calcification. Ruanmai preparation is composed of protocatechuic aldehyde and vitamin E.
OBJECTIVE: To establish arterial calcification model of mice with super-physiological dose Vitamin D3 and hyperlipidemia, and to investigate the preventive effect of Ruanmai preparation on arterial calcification in mice.
METHODS: Forty clean mice of Kunming species were randomly divided into four groups: normal control group, model group, Pravastatin group and Ruanmai preparation group. Each group contained 10 mice. Except the normal control group, arterial calcification model was established in the other three groups, which was then given drug administrations. Six weeks later, mice were killed to collect blood sample from the eyeballs. Then hematoxylin-eosin staining sections of thoracic aortas were made, to observe the changes of thoracic aortas, blood lipids, red blood cells and hemoglobin.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the model group, a large number of calcium deposits were seen in the middle elastic fibers of thoracic aorta, wavy elastic fibers were difficult to be distinguished, with expanding space and even fracture, part of smooth muscle cells were necrotic and disappeared. The structure of internal and external elastic membrane was incomplete. Serum total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein levels increased (P < 0.05), while hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin decreased (P < 0.05). The vascular lesions of thoracic aorta in the Pravastatin group showed no significant improvement. There were no significant differences in the total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and red blood cells compared with model group. In the Ruanmai preparation group, the vascular lesions of thoracic aorta alleviated significantly. There was a little calcium deposition in elastic fibers, the internal elastic membrane and the middle elastic fibers showed a pink dye and clearness, elastic fiber spacing reduced and wavy elastic fibers were visible. The structure of internal and external elastic membrane was complete. Compared with model group, serum total cholesterol decreased (P < 0.05), while hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin increased in the Ruanmai preparation group (P < 0.05). Other indicators had no statistically significant difference. Experimental findings indicate that Ruanmai preparation has a preventive effect on vascular calcification of mice caused by super-physiological dose Vitamin D3 and hyperlipidemia.