Protective effects of berberine on experimental myocardial infarction in rats

The protective effects of berberine(Ber)on experimental myocardial infarction induced by ligating the left coronary artery were estimated in rats.The myocardial infarction size(MIS)was determined by nitro-blue tetrazolium technique.Ber,as well as verspamil,played a remarkable role in diminishing the MIS within 24h,decreasing the rise of free-fatty-acids (FFA)in the serum within one hour and 4 h and reducing the incidence of Q wave in electrocardiography(ECG)after the ligation of the coronary artery.These results show that Ber possesses protective effects on ischemic myocardium.