Abstract: Aim The effect of herbal tongxinluo on the the balloon injured rabbit abdominal aorta and il- thrombus formation and neointimal hyperplasia of iac artery was observed. Methods 36 New zealand rabbits were divided randomly into 3 groups: tongxinluo group (16 rabbits); aspirin group (11 rabbits) and control group (9 rabbits). The rabbits were treated with herb tongxinluo 0.38 g mg·kg^-1·d^-1, aspirin 50 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 and 0.09% natrium chloride 10 ml·d^-1 alternatively. The arterial injury model was made 1 week after taking the medicine and the injured segments were taken at 24 hours, 1 week or 1 month after the procedure,then the samples were stained by hematoxylin and eosin. The thrombus formation and the neointimal hyperplasia of the injured arteries were observed under microscope. Results The arterial neointimal hyperplasia was seen in both abdominal aorta and iliac artery 24 hours and 7 days after the balloon injury in each group,which led to stenosis in 5%~40% of the arterial lumen, the neointimal hyperplasia was much more significant in 2 rabbits 1 month after the balloon injury. The ratio of the arteries with thrombosis in aspirin group was less than that in the other 2 groups, but the difference was not significant. The ratio of neointimal hyperplasia in tongxinluo group was significantly less than that in aspirin and control groups. Conclusion The balloon injured rabbit abdominal aorta and iliac artery appeare to be an ideal model in researching restenosis after percutaneous transluminar coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Herbal Tongxinluo significantly inhibit the neointimal hyperplasia of the balloon injured rabbit peripheral arteries, which indicate that herbal Tongxinluo might be a promising medicine in preventing restenosis.

Key words: Key Words herb tongxinluo, rabbit, thrombosis, restenosi