title: Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) bark extract: cardiovascular activity and myocyte protection against oxidative damage.
abstract: This work was aimed at evaluating the cardioprotective effects of Castanea sativa Mill. (CSM) bark extract characterized in its phenolic composition by HPLC-DAD-MS analysis. The study was performed using primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes to investigate the antioxidant and cytoprotective effects of CSM bark extract and isolated guinea pig left and right atria, left papillary muscle, and aorta to evaluate its direct effect on cholinergic and adrenergic response. In cultured cardiomyocytes the CSM bark extract reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species formation and improved cell viability following oxidative stress in dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the extract decreased the contraction induced by noradrenaline (1  μ M) in guinea pig aortic strips and induced transient negative chronotropic and positive inotropic effects without involvement of cholinergic or adrenergic receptors in the guinea pig atria. Our results indicate that CSM bark extract exhibits antioxidant activity and might induce cardioprotective effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy. alberto.chiarini@unibo.it
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiarini
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Micucci
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malaguti
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Budriesi
authors.forename: Pierfranco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ioan
authors.forename: Monia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fimognari
authors.forename: Tullia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gallina Toschi
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Comandini
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hrelia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D016275:Atrial Function / Q000187:drug effects; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D029962:Fagaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D024301:Plant Bark / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic / Q000378:metabolism; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic