Comparison Of The Effects Of Shenfu Injection And Shenmai Injection On Doxorubicin-Induced Chronic Heart Failure In Rats

Shenfu injection (SFI) and Shenmai injection (SMI) are classical Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for chronic heart failure (CHF). SFI is used for Yang Deficiency syndrome, while SMI is used for Yin Deficiency. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of SFI and SMI on doxorubicin (DOX) induced chronic heart failure (CHF) in a rat model. A total of 33 CHF rats were successfully established and received 15 days of SFI and SMI treatment, followed by dividing into the DOX group, SMI group, and SFI group. Another 11 rats were chosen as the control group. Echocardiograms and carotid artery intubations were performed. Blood samples were collected for assessment of cardiac function markers and heart tissue homogenate were used for reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant enzyme detection. Myocardial tissue was used for histological examinations and apoptosis index analysis. Present results demonstrated that SFI, instead of SMI, improved survival rates of DOX-induced CHF rats. Both SFI and SMI administration improved left ventricle systolic and diastolic function and decreased DOX-induced elevated cardiac function markers. Moreover, SFI showed superior properties in attenuating DOX-induced ROS and inhibition of antioxidant enzyme activities, thus inhibiting DOX-induced cardiac apoptosis. SFI mitigates DOX-induced oxidative stress via activated Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathways. In conclusion, this study identified that DOX associated CHF may belong to Yang Deficiency in TCM and SFI effectively protects against DOX-induced CHF through activation of Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathways.