Serum proteomic analysis reveals the cardioprotective effects of Shexiang Baoxin Pill and Suxiao Jiuxin Pill in a rat model of acute myocardial infarction

Shexiang Baoxin Pill (SBP) and Suxiao Jiuxin Pill (SJP) are traditional Chinese medicines used to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China. However, the mechanism of their therapeutic effect on CVD has not been clearly elucidated yet. The aim of this study is to investigate the cardioprotective effect of SBP and SJP in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) model rats by applying serum proteomic approach. The rat model of AMI was generated by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. 42 rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham-operating (Sham, n = 10) group, model (Mod, n = 8) group, Shexiang Baoxin pills pretreatment (SBP, n = 12) group and Suxiao Jiuxin pills pretreatment (SJP, n = 12) group. Data Independent Acquisition (DIA) proteomic approach was utilized to investigate the serum proteome from the rat individuals. The differentially expressed proteins were subsequently obtained with bioinformatic analysis. DIA-MS identified 415 proteins within 42 samples, and 84 differentially expressed proteins may contribute to the therapeutic effects of SBP and SJP. GOBP and KEGG pathway analysis of 84 differentially expressed proteins revealed that the proteins were mainly involved in platelet activation and adhesion processes. All 84 differentially expressed proteins presented the same changing tendency in the SBP and SJP groups when compared with the Mod group. Among these 84 proteins, 25 proteins were found to be related to CVD. Among these 25 proteins, ACTB, ACTG1, FGA, FGB, FGG, PF4 and VWF were found to be involved in platelet aggregation and activation. FN1, HSPA5 and YWHAZ were associated with adhesion. The results of our study suggest that the cardioprotective effects of SBP and SJP are achieved through the modulation of focal adhesion, platelet activation pathways. [Display omitted]