[Chinese Herbs Prevented and Treated Radiographic Contrast Nephropathy after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: an Analysis of Mechanism].

Now percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an important treatment way for diag- nosing and treating coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (abbreviated as coronary heart disease). But use of contrast medium during intervention will result in acute renal failure. Hydration is a main measure to prevent radiographic contrast nephropathy at present. Chinese herbs play certain roles in preventing and treating radiographic contrast nephropathy. Theories of Chinese medicine hold blood stasis and toxin factor are main pathogeneses in radiographic contrast nephropathy. Therefore, blood promoting, stasis removing, and detoxification therapy is a main treatment method for preventing and treating radiographic contrast nephropathy.

[Effect of tongguan capsule on the number of endothelial progenitor cells in the peripheral blood of patients with coronary artery disease after PCI].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Tongguan Capsule (TC) on the number of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in the peripheral blood of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Recruited were 60 CAD patients undergoing PCI who were admitted and treated at ICU and the Heart Center of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March to October 2010. They were assigned to the treatment group (treated by TC) and the control group (treated by placebos) according to the random digit table, 30 cases in each group. They took TC or placebos from the day of PCI, three pills each time, three times a day, for three consecutive months. The numbers of peripheral blood CD34 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) positive cells were detected before PCI and 3 months after PCI respectively. The echocardiography was performed before PCI and 3 months after PCI respectively to determinate the left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end systolic volume (LVESV), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The wall motion score index (WMSI) was assessed in the two groups. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in the number of EPCs, LVEF,WMSI, or SV in the two groups before PCI (P > 0.05). The number of EPCs increased in both the two groups after 1 month of PCI (P < 0.05). It was obviously higher in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The LVEF both increased in the two groups 3 months after PCI (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The WMSI decreased and SV increased in the treatment group (P < 0.05). The improvement of LVEF and WMSI was better in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TC could up-regulate the number of EPCs in the peripheral blood of CAD patients after PCI, and improve their cardiac functions.