Role of Mitochondrial Enzymes and Sarcoplasmic ATPase in Cardioprotection Mediated by Aqueous Extract of Desmodium gangeticum (L) DC Root on Ischemic Reperfusion Injury

Evaluation of Substitution of Small Branches with Roots of Desmodium gangeticum (Physicochemical Analysis, HPLC, and GC-MS Profiling) and In Silico Study of Pterocarpans for Pharmacological Target

The present research article proposes a conservative approach for the Desmodium gangeticum by using small branches instead of roots because the plant has many important chemical constituents that show different medicinal activity, so the plant's consumption is high. We studied here comparative preliminary phytochemical screening test and physicochemical analysis. The successive soxhlet extraction method was used for the successive extraction of roots and small branches with different solvents for comparative chemical profile study by HPLC and GC-MS. It was observed that many peaks in roots and small branches of the plant sample were almost similar, and the retention time of each peak in roots coincided with the retention of small branches of the sample. Therefore, the similarity was observed in roots and small branches of the Desmodium gangeticum plant in HPLC and GC-MS. The results obtained from HPLC analysis show that roots contain 0.00116% and small branches have 0.00026% of caffeic acid in Desmodium gangeticum. The small branches may have almost similar active chemical constituents like roots. In silico molecular docking study revealed that this plant's principal chemical constituents, pterocarpans, could be inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphate kinase.

Antioxidants Protect against Arsenic Induced Mitochondrial Cardio-Toxicity

Arsenic is a potent cardiovascular toxicant associated with numerous biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases in exposed human populations. Arsenic is also a carcinogen, yet arsenic trioxide is used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of acute promyelotic leukemia (APL). The therapeutic use of arsenic is limited due to its severe cardiovascular side effects. Many of the toxic effects of arsenic are mediated by mitochondrial dysfunction and related to arsenic's effect on oxidative stress. Therefore, we investigated the effectiveness of antioxidants against arsenic induced cardiovascular dysfunction. A growing body of evidence suggests that antioxidant phytonutrients may ameliorate the toxic effects of arsenic on mitochondria by scavenging free radicals. This review identifies 21 antioxidants that can effectively reverse mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in cardiovascular cells and tissues. In addition, we propose that antioxidants have the potential to improve the cardiovascular health of millions of people chronically exposed to elevated arsenic concentrations through contaminated water supplies or used to treat certain types of leukemias. Importantly, we identify conceptual gaps in research and development of new mito-protective antioxidants and suggest avenues for future research to improve bioavailability of antioxidants and distribution to target tissues in order reduce arsenic-induced cardiovascular toxicity in a real-world context.

Effect of trapidil in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rabbit

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the cardioprotective effects of trapidil on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) in rabbits.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Rabbits were subjected to 40 min of myocardial ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Blood for superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were estimated. At the end of reperfusion, the rabbits were sacrificed and the hearts were isolated for histological examination. An apoptotic index (AI) was determined using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling (TUNEL) method. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2 was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were performed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), P < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Trapidil caused a significant (P < 0.05) increase in SOD activity, as decreased MDA levels and significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the expression of Bax as compared with the ischemia-reperfusion (IR) control group.

CONCLUSION

Trapidil may attenuate the myocardial damage produced by IR injury and offer potential cardioprotective action.