crocin and Heart-Diseases

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been emerging as a great health problem in world. Cigarette smoke is known to cause oxidative stress and deplete glutathione (GSH) levels. Nuclear erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is involved in transcriptional regulation of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLc). Antioxidant compounds may be of therapeutic value in monitoring disease progression. Crocin demonstrates antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective role of crocin against CSE-mediated oxidative stress, inflammatory process, Nrf2 modifications and impairment of cardiac function in rats with COPD.. Eighty rats were divided into four groups: Control, Cigarette smoke exposure (CSE), Crocin, Crocin+CS. Each group was divided into the two parts: 1) to evaluate lung inflammatory and oxidative process, 2) to evaluate the effect of Cigarette smoke induced-lung injuries on cardiac electrocardiogram (such as heart rate and QRS complex) and hemodynamic parameters (such as perfusion pressure and left ventricular developed pressure).. CSE rats showed a significant increase in cotinine concentration (17.24 ng/ml), and inflammatory parameters and a decrease in PO. CS induced-COPD in rat model provides evidence that chronic CS exposure leads to lung injury and mediated cardiac dysfunction. Crocin co-treatment by modulating of Nrf2 pathway protected lung injury caused by COPD and its related cardiac dysfunction. In this study, we showed the importance of Nrf2 activators as a therapeutic target for the development of novel therapy for lung oxidative injuries.

Topics: Acute Lung Injury; Animals; Antioxidants; Carotenoids; Crocus; Disease Models, Animal; Heart Diseases; Lipid Peroxidation; Male; NF-E2-Related Factor 2; Nicotiana; Oxidative Stress; Phytotherapy; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Smoke

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of crocin, main component of Crocus sativus L. (Saffron) against subchronic diazinon (DZN) induced cardiotoxicity in rats.. Rats were divided into 7 groups; control (corn oil, gavage), DZN (15 mg/kg/day, gavage,), crocin (12.5, 25 or 50 mg/kg/day, i.p) plus DZN, vitamin E (200 IU/kg, i.p, three times per week) plus DZN and crocin (50 mg/kg/day, i.p) groups. Treatments were continued for 4 weeks. Creatine phosphokinase MB (CK-MB), malondealdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels were evaluated in heart tissue at the end of treatments. Levels of apoptotic proteins (Bax, Bcl2, caspase 3) and cytosolic cytochrome c were analyzed by Western blotting. Transcript levels of Bax and Bcl2 were also determined using qRT PCR.. DZN induced histophatological damages and elevated the level of cardiac marker CK-MB. These effects were associated with increased MDA level, lower level of reduced GSH and induction of apoptosis through elevation of Bax/Bcl2 ratio (both protein and mRNA levels), cytochrome c release to the cytosol and activation caspase 3 in cardiac tissue. Crocin (25 and 50 mg/kg) or vitamin E improved histopathological damages, decreased MDA and CK-MB, increased GSH content and attenuated the increase of Bax/Bcl2 ratio, activation of caspase 3 and release of cytochrome c to the cytosol induced by DZN. In summary, DZN induced mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in heart tissue of rat following subchronic exposure. Crocin, as an antioxidant, showed protective effects against DZN cardiotoxicity by reducing lipid peroxidation and alleviating apoptosis.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Apoptosis; bcl-2-Associated X Protein; Carotenoids; Creatine Kinase; Crocus; Cytochromes c; Diazinon; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression; Glutathione; Heart; Heart Diseases; Insecticides; Male; Malondialdehyde; Myocardium; Necrosis; Oxidative Stress; Plant Extracts; Rats; Rats, Wistar; RNA, Messenger