Comparison of the therapeutic effects of different compositions of muskone in the treatment of experimental myocardial infarct in rats and analgesia in mice

The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effects of muskone, a traditional preparation containing slender Dutchmanspipe root (MCS) used to treat angina pectoris and related conditions, muskone containing inula root (MCI) in place of MCS, and muskone (M) without either slender Dutchmanspipe root (S) or inula root (I) on acute myocardial infarct (AMI) in rats and the pain response in mice. The AMI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). The AMI rats were treated with MCS, MCI, M, S and I, respectively, before the surgical operation. Plasma endothelin (ET), 6-keto-prostaglandin F₁α (6-keto-PGF₁α), thromboxane (TXB₂) and myocardial apoptosis were detected, the ratio of 6-keto-PGF₁α level to TXB₂ level (6-keto-PGF₂α/TXB₂) was calculated, and the infarct size was determined. In the pain relieving study, the prophylactic treatments with MCS, MCI, M, S, I and aspirin were administered to the mice once a day for 5 days, the response latency and the number of abdominal contractions after the stimulus of intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid were recorded. The results show that MCS, MCI and M significantly ameliorated plasma ET, TXB₂, 6-keto-PGF₁α and 6-keto-PGF₂α/TXB₂ levels, reduced infarct size and opposed myocardial apoptosis. Simultaneously, they also significantly reduced the abdominal contractions and also prolonged the response latency induced by acetic acid in the mice. S and I only showed a degree of relieving pain, but their efficacy was weaker than that of MCS, MCI and M, and they had little cardioprotective effect. In conclusion, MCS, MCI and M had a significant cardioprotective and analgesic effect, and they had similar efficacy. S and I only had a secondary analgesic effect. Removing S from the MCS or replacing S with I did not influence the cardioprotective effect and analgesic effect.