Qingyi decoction protects against myocardial injuries induced by severe acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND We studied the protective effects of Qingyi decoction (QYD) (a Traditional Chinese Medicine) against severe acute pancreatitis (SAP)-induced myocardial infarction (MI). AIM To study the function and mechanism of QYD in the treatment of myocardial injuries induced by SAP. METHODS Ultrasonic cardiography, hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, western blot, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and apoptosis staining techniques were used to determine the effects of QYD following SAP-induced MI in Sprague-Dawley rats. RESULTS Our SAP model showed severe myocardial histological abnormalities and marked differences in the symptoms, mortality rate, and ultrasonic cardiography outputs among the different groups compared to the control. The expression of serum cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1ss, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, amyloid beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha] were significantly higher in the SAP versus QYD treated group (P < 0.05 for all). STIM1 and Orai1 expression in myocardial tissue extracts were significantly decreased post QYD gavage (P < 0.001). There was no significant histological difference between the 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate inhibitor and QYD groups. The SAP group had a significantly higher apoptosis index score compared to the QYD group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION QYD conferred cardio-protection against SAP-induced MI by regulating myocardial-associated protein expression (STIM1 and Orai1).