PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF Vitis vinifera AGAINST MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIA INDUCED BY ISOPROTERENOL IN RATS

Sustained high levels of circulating catecholamines may induce cardiotoxicity through oxidative mechanisms. Isoproterenol is a synthetic catecholamine with increasing attention owing to this application in cardiology. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cardioprotective effects of Vitis vinifera seed against isoproterenolinduced myocardial ischemia. Normal Wistar strain rats were pretreated with Vitis vinifera seed (500mg/kg body weight) for 28 days and the intoxicated with isoproterenol (ISO) (20mg/100g, i.p. for 2 consecutive days). The activities of cardiac marker enzymes such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphokinase (CPK) were analyzed in heart and plasma. Cardiac protein as troponin T was estimated in serum, the levels of lipid peroxide products (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) (TBARS), reduced glutathione (GSH) were analyzed in heart and plasma. In ISO-treated group, shrinkage of cardiac markers in plasma and elevated lipid peroxidation where accompanied by decreased content of reduced glutathione in heart and plasma. The prior administration of Vitis vinifera significantly prevented the isoproterenol-induced alterations and restored the cardiac markers. These findings indicate the cardioprotective activities of Vitis vinifera during isoproterenol-induced myocardial ischemia.