Schisandra chinensis-dependent myocardial protective action of sheng-mai-san in rats

Sheng-Mai-San (SMS), a traditional Chinese formulation used for the treatment of coronary heart disease, is comprised of Radix Ginseng, Fructus Schisandrae and Radix Ophiopogonis. Pretreatment with a lignan-enriched SMS (17 g/kg/day x 3, p.o.) was found effective in protection against isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury in rats, and in ischemia-reperfusion injury in isolated perfused hearts prepared from pretreated animals. Results obtained from pretreatment studies using extracts prepared by mixing various combinations of the three component herbs indicate that the major myocardial protective component in SMS is the lignan-enriched extract of Fructus Schisandrae.