Submitted on November 24, 2005
Accepted on April 5, 2006
Cardioprotective mechanisms of Prunus cerasus (sour cherry) seed extract against ischemia/reperfusion-induced damage in isolated rat hearts
Istvan Bak1, Istvan Lekli1, Bela Juhasz1, Norbert Nagy1, Edit Varga1, Judit Varadi2, Rudolf Gesztelyi1, Gergo Szabo1, Levente Szendrei1, Ildiko Bacskay2, Miklos Vecsernyes2, Miklos Antal3, Laszlo Fesus4, Francois Boucher5, Joel de Leiris5, and Arpad Tosaki1*
1 Department of Pharmacology, University of Debrecen, Health science Center, Debrecen, Hungary
2 Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Debrecen, Health science Center, Debrecen, Hungary
3 Department of Anatomy, University of Debrecen, Health science Center, Debrecen, Hungary
4 Department of Biochemistry, University of Debrecen, Health science Center, Debrecen, Hungary
5 Department of Cardiovascular research, University of Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tosaki{at}king.pharmacol.dote.hu.
The effects of kernel extract obtained from sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) seed on the postischemic cardiac recovery were studied in isolated working rat hearts. Rats were treated with various daily doses of the extract for 14 days then hearts were isolated and subjected to 30 min of global ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. The incidence of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and tachycardia (VT) fell from their control values of 92% and 100% to 50% (NS) and 58% (NS), 17% (p<0.05) and 25% (p<0.05) with the doses of 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg of the extract, respectively. Lower concentrations of the extract (1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) failed to significantly reduce the incidence of VF and VT during reperfusion. Ten and 30 mg/kg of sour cherry seed kernel extract significantly improved the postischemic recovery of cardiac function (coronary flow, aortic flow and left ventricular developed pressure) during reperfusion. We have also demonstrated that the extract-induced protection in cardiac function significantly reflected in a reduction of infarct size. Immunohistochemistry indicates that a reduction in caspase 3 activity and apoptotic cells by the extract, beside other potential action mechanisms of proanthocyanidin, trans-resveratrol, and flavonoid components of the extract, could be responsible for the cardioprotection in ischemic/reperfused myocardium.
