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Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of pomegranate juice in patients with ischemic heart disease. One hundred patients, diagnosed with unstable angina or myocardial infarction, were randomly assigned to the test and the control groups (n = 50, each). During 5 days of hospitalization, in addition to the conventional medical therapies, the test groups received 220 mL pomegranate juice, daily. During the hospitalization period, the blood pressure, heart rate, as well as the intensity, occurrence, and duration of the angina were evaluated on a regular basis. At the end of the hospitalization period, the serum levels of malondialdehyde, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were measured in all patients. The levels of serum troponin and high-sensitive C-reactive protein levels were also assayed in patients diagnosed with myocardial infarction. Pomegranate juice caused significant reductions in the intensity, occurrence, and duration of angina pectoris in patients with unstable angina. Consistently, the test patients had significantly lower levels of serum troponin and malondialdehyde. Other studied parameters did not change significantly. The results of this study suggest protective effects of pomegranate juice against myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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This study tested the hypothesis that activation of proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) contributes towards the pathophysiology of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced shock in the mouse. The effects of LPS on plasma glucose, biochemical markers of hepatic, renal and pancreatic exocrine function and lung content of myeloperoxidase (MPO) were examined in homozygous PAR-2 knockout mice (PAR-2 -/-) and genetically equivalent, homozygous PAR-2 +/+ mice. The effect of LPS was also examined in normal mice receiving dexamethasone (10 mg kg(-1), i. p.) or saline as a positive control. At six hours after intraperitoneal injection, LPS (40 mg kg(-1)) produced an increase in rectal temperature, hypoglycaemia and elevations in serum concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine and lipase, as well as an increase in lung MPO content. Dexamethasone treatment reduced LPS-induced hypoglycaemia and elevation of serum ALT concentrations but did not modify elevations in serum creatinine and lipase concentrations or the increase in lung MPO content. The changes in serum concentrations of glucose, ALT, creatinine and lipase produced by LPS in PAR-2 -/- mice were not different from those seen in wild-type or PAR-2 +/+ mice. These data suggest that activation of PAR-2 may not play a pivotal role in LPS-induced multi-organ dysfunction.