Study on the effects of aqueous extract of Marrubium vulgare on cardiac hemodynamic and infarct size in ischemic-reperfused isolated rat heart

Abstract

Introduction: Ischemia occurs after cessation of blood flow to the myocardium. With suddenly restoring of blood (reperfusion), an intense reactive oxygen species (ROS) will be produced in reperfused tissue which damage the tissue and accordingly the cell death. This event is known as Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) injury. Marrubium vulgare is a medicinal herb from Lamiaceae family and has long been acknowledged for its unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in traditional medicine. Aim: The Evaluation of the cardioprotective effects of aqueous extract of M. vulgare on cardiac parameters in ischemic-reperfused isolated rat hearts. Method: The dried aerial parts of the plant were extracted with methanol 70% by maceration at room temperature and the solvent was removed by rotary evaporator. The water-soluble portion of the total hydroalcoholic extract was prepared with liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). The evaluation of M. vulgare aqueous extract's effect on cardiac parameters was carried out after phytochemical assays like DPPH radical scavenging assay, nitric oxide radical scavenging assay, total phenolic and flavonoids content assay and stiasny test. In order to evaluate the effect of the extract on cardiac parameters and I/R injury, the Langendroff method was used. Male Wistar rats were heparinized (1000 IU.kg-1) and anaesthetized with kethamin/xylasin (60mg.kg-1, 10mg.kg-1). Harvested hearts were cannulated immediately to the langendroff apparatus and subjected to 30 min regional ischemia and 2 hrs reperfusion, either by a modified Krebs-Henseleit Buffer Solution (KHBS) or enriched KHBS with extract (10, 20, 40 mcg/ml). Result: The 40 µg/mL of M. vulgare aqueous extract significantly decreased the infarct size compared to control group. All three doses (10, 20 and 40 µg/mL) significantly reduced the total ventricular ectopic beats (VEBs) during 30 min of ischemia and 40 µg/mL considerably decreased the arrhythmias during first 30 min of reperfusion. The concentrations of 10 and 20 µg/mL lowered the lactate level of samples during the first 30 min of reperfusion. Conclusion: The aqueous extract of M. vulgare has a cardioprotective effect against I/R injuries in isolated rat hearts.