title: Anti-oxidative stress effects of Herba leonuri on ischemic rat hearts.
abstract: Our current study was to test the hypothesis that the extract of Herba leonuri (HL) would have antioxidant and cardioprotective effects on ischemic myocardium. The extract of HL (400 mg/kg/day) was administered orally (daily) starting from 1 week before and continuing until 3 weeks after myocardial infarction (MI). Surviving rats were sacrificed at different time points to obtain left ventricles for biochemical assays. Our study demonstrates for the first time that HL does have antioxidant effects both in vitro and in vivo. The antioxidant effects of HL are exerted only under the condition of oxidative stress, by selectively preserving the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, as well as depressing the formation of malondialdehyde, especially in the acute phase of acute MI. Its effects of scavenging free radicals and inhibiting the formation of reactive oxygen species may play a key role in protecting the endogenous antioxidant system from oxidative stress in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, 119260, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Shan Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yi Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Whiteman
authors.forename: Min Jie
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Benny K-H
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yi Zhun
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D031332:Leonurus / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase