Background: This study explored Bacopa monnieri, a medicinal Ayurvedic herb, as a cardioprotectant against\nischemia/reperfusion injury using cardiac function and coronary flow as end-points.\nMethods: In normal isolated rat hearts, coronary flow, left ventricular developed pressure, heart rate, and functional\nrecovery were measured using the Langendorff preparation. Hearts were perfused with either (i) Krebs-Henseleit\n(normal) solution, (control), or with 30, 100 Ã?¼g/ml B. monnieri ethanolic extract (30 min), or (ii) with normal solution\nor extract for 10 min preceding no-perfusion ischemia (30 min) followed by reperfusion (30 min) with\nnormal solution. Infarct volumes were measured by triphenyltetrazolium staining. L-type Ca2+-currents (ICa, L)\nwere measured by whole-cell patching in HL-1 cells, a mouse atrial cardiomyocyte cell line. Cytotoxicity of\nB. monnieri was assessed in rat isolated ventricular myocytes by trypan blue exclusion.\nResults: In normally perfused hearts, B. monnieri increased coronary flow by 63 Ã?± 13% (30 Ã?¼g/ml) and 216 Ã?± 21%\n(100 Ã?¼g/ml), compared to control (5 Ã?± 3%) (n = 8ââ?¬â??10, p < 0.001). B. monnieri treatment preceding ischemia/reperfusion\nimproved left ventricular developed pressure by 84 Ã?± 10% (30 Ã?¼g/ml), 82 Ã?± 10% (100 Ã?¼g/ml) and 52 Ã?± 6% (control)\ncompared to pre- ischemia/reperfusion. Similarly, functional recovery showed a sustained increase. Moreover, B.\nmonnieri (100 Ã?¼g/ml) reduced the percentage of infarct size from 51 Ã?± 2% (control) to 25 Ã?± 2% (n = 6-8, p < 0.0001).\nB. monnieri (100 Ã?¼g/ml) reduced ICa, L by 63 Ã?± 4% in HL-1 cells. Ventricular myocyte survival decreased at higher\nconcentrations (50ââ?¬â??1000 Ã?¼g/ml) B. monnieri.\nConclusions: B. monnieri improves myocardial function following ischemia/reperfusion injury through recovery of\ncoronary blood flow, contractile force and decrease in infarct size. Thus this may lead to a novel cardioprotectant\nstrategy.
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