title: p-Coumaric acid attenuates apoptosis in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarcted rats by inhibiting oxidative stress.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac apoptosis plays an important role in the pathology of myocardial infarction. The protective effects of p-coumaric acid on cardiac apoptosis were evaluated in isoproterenol induced myocardial infarcted rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats were pretreated with p-coumaric acid (8 mg/kg body weight) daily for a period of 7 days. After pretreatment, isoproterenol (100 mg/kg body weight) was injected subcutaneously into rats at an interval of 24 h for 2 days to induce myocardial infarction. Cardiac diagnostic markers, heart lipid peroxidation, antioxidant system, histopathological changes of the heart and apoptosis were evaluated in isoproterenol induced myocardial infarcted rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Isoproterenol induced myocardial infarcted rats showed a significant increase in the levels of serum cardiac diagnostic markers, heart lipid peroxidation products and a significant decrease in the activities/levels of heart antioxidants. Histopathological findings of myocardial infarcted rats revealed marked necrosis and edema. Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction study revealed an increase in the myocardial expression of Bax, caspase-8, caspase-9 and Fas genes and a decrease in the myocardial expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL genes. p-Coumaric acid pretreatment showed protective effects on apoptosis by inhibiting oxidative stress. p-Coumaric acid pretreated isoproterenol induced myocardial infarcted heart also confirmed these findings. The possible mechanisms for the protective effects of p-coumaric acid could be attributed to antilipid peroxidative, antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thus, p-coumaric acid protected the myocardial infarcted rat's heart against apoptosis by inhibiting oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar - 608002, Tamil Nadu, India. Electronic address: ps_mainzenprince@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stanely Mainzen Prince
authors.forename: Abhro Jyoti
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Roy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003373:Coumaric Acids / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011422:Propionates; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D003373:Coumaric Acids; D011422:Propionates; C495469:p-coumaric acid
keywords: Antioxidants; Apoptosis; Isoproterenol; Lipid peroxidation; Myocardial infarction; p-Coumaric acid