心为君主之官，它在五脏系统中的地位极其重要，对于心藏象实质的认识也是中医藏象学说研究的重要内容。“心应夏”是《内经》“五脏应时”理论的一个组成部分。其内涵强调心的生理功能在通应四时变化中，与夏令时节存在特异性同步变化规律，这是中医学认识脏腑功能特性的理论思维模式。为探究此思维模式的科学内涵，本项目将基于中医“五脏应时”认识脏腑实质的特点，应用“以时测脏”的研究思路，结合“心主血脉”的功能，通过观察正常人体和大鼠与慢性心力衰竭患者和模型大鼠，在夏冬不同季节松果腺褪黑素对心肌细胞的内分泌系统（AMP-BNP-AAP-RAS）和血管内皮的内分泌免疫因子的季节性调控的影响，探讨“心应夏”的生理机制，进而揭示中医心藏象的实质。本研究成果将不仅有利于从“天人相应”的角度揭示中医心藏象的实质，还能够从机制方面为心血管易患人群的养生防病、心血管疾病患者季节性发病的预防和治疗提供思路和实验依据。

Heart is the official of the monarch, and its position in the five-zang system is extremely important. Understanding the essence of heart zang-organ is also an important part of the study of the theory of Visceral Manifestation. "The heart responding to summer" is part of the theory of "Five-Zang corresponding to the seasons" in Huangdi’s Canon of Medicine. Its connotation emphasizes that the physiological function of the heart is connected with the changes in the four seasons, and there is a specificity synchronous change law with the summer season, which is the theoretical thinking mode of TCM to understand the functional characteristics of the viscera. In order to explore the scientific connotation of this mode of thinking, this project will be based on the characteristics of "Five-Zang corresponding to the seasons" of TCM to understand the essence of Zang-fu organs, apply the research route of "researching viscera through seasons" and combine the function of "the heart rules the blood and blood vessels", by observing the effects of pineal melatonin on the seasonal regulation of Endocrine system of cardiac myocytes (AMP-BNP-AAP-RAS) and endocrine-immune factors of vascular endothelium in different seasons of summer and winter in normal human and rats and chronic heart failure patients and model rats, to explore the physiological mechanism of "The heart responding to summer", and then reveal the essence of heart viscera in TCM. The results of this study will not only help to reveal the essence of Heart Visceral Manifestation. From the perspective of "Correspondence between man and nature", but also provide ideas and experimental basis for health preservation and disease prevention of cardiovascular vulnerable population and seasonal disease prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease patients in terms of mechanism.