Effects of Total Extract of Dracocephalum moldavica on Ischemia/Reperfusion Induced Arrhythmias and Infarct Size in the Isolated Rat Heart

Objective(s) Dracocephalum moldavica (D. moldavica) have been traditionally used as a cardiotonic agent in the folk medicine of some regions of Iran. In the present study, effects of total extract of D. moldavica on ischemia/reperfusion induced arrhythmias and infarct size investigated in isolated rat heart. Materials and Methods The isolated hearts were mounted on a Langendorff apparatus then perfused during 30 min regional ischemia and 120 min reperfusion, either by a modified Krebs-Henseleit solution as the control group or by enriched Krebs solution with total extract of D. moldavica (25-200 μg/ml) as the treatment groups. The ECGs recorded and analyzed to determine cardiac arrhythmias. At the end of the reperfusion, the hearts stained by Evans blue solution then incubated by triphenyltetrazolium chloride. The volume of infarcted tissue and percentage of infarct size determined by computerized planimetry. Results The results demonstrated that total extract of D. moldavica caused a significant reduction in the number of ventricular tachycardia (VT), total ventricular ectopic beats (VEBs) and VT duration in ischemic and reperfusion periods. The incidence of ischemic VT reduced from 93% in the control group to 0, 50 and 50% in the treatment groups. The infarct size was 37±1% in the control group, however, perfusion of the extract (25, 50, 200 μg/ml) reduced it to 13±2, 8±1 and 18±2%, respectively (P<0.001). In addition, the extract remarkably lowered volume of infarcted tissue compared to the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Our findings showed cardioprotective effects of total extract of D. moldavica against ischemia/reperfusion injuries in the isolated rat heart.