Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sepsis-induced myocardial injury (SIMI) is a leading cause of organ dysfunction and mortality in septic patients. Effective myocardial-protective therapies remain limited. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the cardioprotective effects of Xiangdan injection in murine SIMI models caused by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice were assigned to sham, sepsis, and three Xiangdan dose groups for each bacterial model using a randomization schedule. Xiangdan injection was administered by oral gavage 12 h before and immediately after bacterial challenge (prophylaxis/early intervention). Outcomes included survival, serum inflammatory cytokines, cardiac biomarkers, histopathology, and ultrastructural mitochondrial integrity. RESULTS: Xiangdan injection markedly improved survival, reduced inflammatory cytokines and cardiac biomarkers, ameliorated myocardial histopathology, and preserved mitochondrial integrity in a dose-dependent manner in both sepsis models (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Xiangdan injection conferred robust cardioprotection in sepsis, combining anti-inflammatory effects, reduction of cardiac injury markers, and preservation of mitochondrial structure. These outcomes are consistent with the known capacity of traditional Chinese medicine formulations to modulate TLR4/NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 pathways, thereby supporting mechanistic suppression of these cascades in our model.