title: Potential role of Borreria hispida in ameliorating cardiovascular risk factors.
abstract: Borreria hispida (BHE), a weed of Rubiaceae family, is being used from time immemorial as an alternative therapy for diabetes. To evaluate the scientific background of using BHE as therapy to reduce cardiovascular risk, a group of rats were given BHE for a period of 30 days, whereas control animals were given the vehicle only. The animals were sacrificed, the hearts were isolated, and perfused with buffer. All the hearts were subjected to 30-minute ischemia followed by 2-hour reperfusion. Compared with vehicle-treated rats, BHE-treated rat hearts showed improved post-ischemic ventricular function and exhibited reduced myocardial infarct size and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The level of cytochrome c expression and caspase 3 activation was also reduced. BHE elevated antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and heme oxygenase-1 and stimulated the phosphorylation of survival protein Akt simultaneously decreasing the apoptotic proteins Bax and Src. In addition, BHE enhanced the protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta, and Glut-4, probably revealing the antiobese and antidiabetic potential of BHE. These results indicate that treatment with BHE improves cardiac function and ameliorates various risk factors associated with cardiac disease, suggesting that BHE can be considered as a potential plant-based nutraceutical and pharmaceutical agent for the management of cardiovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Herbal and Indian Medicine Research Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Hannah R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Vasanthi
authors.forename: Subhendu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Istvan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lekli
authors.forename: Diptarka
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: Gayathri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Veeraraghavan
authors.forename: Dipak K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Das
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D047494:PPAR delta / Q000378:metabolism; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012307:Risk Factors; D019666:Rubiaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D047494:PPAR delta; D047495:PPAR gamma; D010936:Plant Extracts; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1