Nerolidol, a Sesquiterpene Alcohol, Attenuates Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rats

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases have a high morbidity and mortality rate and their treatment is not effective in reducing the damage caused by tissue reperfusion during an acute myocardial infarction (MI). This study aimed to investigate whether nerolidol (NRD), a sesquiterpene alcohol, would attenuate the MI in isoproterenol-treated rat model. MI was induced by the administration of two doses of ISO (100 mg/kg, i.p.) in an interval of 24 h. The animals were divided into 4 groups: control (CTR) (vehicle – saline NaCl 0.9% + TWEEN 80 0.2%), ISO (ISO + vehicle), ISO + NRD (NRD 50 or 100 mg/kg). Electrocardiogram, contractile parameters, cardiac enzymes, infarction size and antioxidant parameters in the heart were measured. ISO group showed a significant rise in ST-segment, QTc and heart rate associated to a reduction of left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), +dP/dt and –dP/dt. Increase in content of creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), TBARS and infarction size as well as fall in activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were observed. NRD significantly prevented almost all the parameters of ISO-induced MI mentioned above. Our results suggests that nerolidol has a significant effect on the protection of heart through maintaining endogenous antioxidant enzyme activities.