Aim The application of neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) and captopril alone or in combination, the mechanism of heart failure and the improvement of cardiac function in rats with heart failure were analyzed. Methods A total of 100 SD rats were randomly divided into NRG-1 group, captopril group, combination group, pseudo-operation group and control group. In addition to the pseudo-operation group, the other four groups were made into rat heart failure model on the basis of puncture operation. Rats in the NRG-1 group and the captopril group were treated with NRG-1 and captopril, respectively, and rats in the combination group were given NRG-1 combined with captopril, and the effect of different regimen on the inhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis and the improvement of cardiac function were compared. ResultsCompared with the pseudo-operation group, the cardiac function index decreased, the plasma BNP concentration increased, the hemodynamic index changed, the hypertrophy index increased, the apoptosis index of the cardiomyocytes increased, the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05). Compared with the control group, the indexes of cardiac function, plasma BNP, hemodynamics, cardiac hypertrophy and cardiomyocyte apoptosis index were significantly improved in NRG-1 group, captopril group and combination group after 8 weeks of treatment, the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05). And NRG-1 group was superior to captopril group (P＜0.05) in plasma BNP concentration and myocardial cell apoptosis index (P＜0.05), and the effect of the above indexes was better than that of captopril and NRG-1 alone group (P＜0.05). Conclusion NRG-1 and captopril in the treatment of heart failure can effectively inhibit myocardial cell apoptosis, improve heart function, if the two drugs in combination, can further enhance the efficacy.