title: Alcohol stress on cardiac tissue - ameliorative effects of Thespesia populnea leaf extract.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cells are naturally equipped with antioxidant defenses to counterbalance free radical production. Overproduction of free radicals is one of the reasons for a variety of diseases. The current investigation was planned to evaluate chronic alcohol- (for 30 days) induced oxidative stress in the cardiac tissue of rat and to explore the effectiveness of Thespesia populnea (TP)-induced cardio-protection in rat heart by utilizing an in vivo model of cardiac injury by alcohol.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten groups of rats were maintained and were divided into different groups. Alcohol 20% was administered and Thespesia leaf extracts (TPE) were administered at a dose of 250 mg/kg to chronic alcoholic rats for 30 days. The heart tissue was isolated and processed for further analysis, and also blood for estimation of blood alcohol level and serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK). The activities/levels of antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA), and protein carbonyls (PC) were estimated using established protocols. Histopathology was performed as evidence for the work and to establish the results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Activities of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and reduced glutathione content (GSH) showed a decrease, while glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity, MDA, and PC recorded an elevation due to alcohol treatment in the cardiac tissue compared to the control rats. Alcohol-induced myocardial injury was observed, indicated by a significant increase in serum CPK, a well-known biomarker of myocardial injury, and histopathological evidence supported these observations by revealing predominantly extensive edema with vacuolization and severe necrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment with TPE confers protection on the heart tissue during alcohol-induced oxidative stress, and thereby minimizes oxidative damage to the cardiac tissue as clearly marked in histopathology.
authors.affiliation: Babaria Institute of Pharmacy, Affiliated to Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, Vadodara 391240, Gujarat, India.
authors.forename: Sangeetha L A
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rajbanshi
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology Sector, Scuola Internazionale Superiore Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Via Bonomea, n.265, Trieste 34136, Italy; Division of Molecular Biology, Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, AP, India. Electronic address: drchetan@aol.in.
authors.forename: Chetan S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Pandanaboina
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D019660:Malvaceae; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D050050:Protein Carbonylation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D005978:Glutathione
keywords: Alcohol; Antioxidants; Cardiomyopathies; Free radicals/scavengers