The Falconoid Luteolin Mitigates the Myocardial Inflammatory Response Induced by High-Carbohydrate/High-Fat Diet in Wistar Rats

Abstract

Luteolin is a major component of many medicinal plants and traditional medicines. The current study aims at testing its protective effect against high-carbohydrate/high-fat (HCHF) diet-induced cardiac dysfunction in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into six groups as follows: control group that received standard rat chow, group received HCHF diet (~ 30% carbohydrate and 42% fat) daily for 16 weeks, and four groups received HCHF diet concurrently with luteolin (10, 25, 50 or 100 mg/kg; 10% w/v suspension in 0.9% NaCl) daily from the first week by oral gavage. Body weight was measured weekly. At the end of the study, histopathological examinations of stained heart sections were carried out. Lipid profile, oxidative stress, and cardiac function biomarkers were measured. Furthermore, neurohumoral mediators and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-18) were assigned. Results showed a significant improvement in cardiac function, tissue integrity, and a decrease in the compensatory neurohumoral mediators by luteolin 50 and 100 mg/kg. In addition, a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in collagen deposition, fibrosis percentage, lipid peroxidation, and inflammatory cells (macrophages and lymphocytes) infiltration was observed. Tested doses of luteolin decreased lipid peroxidation and elevated the endogenous antioxidant biomarkers (reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase) significantly (P < 0.05). Finally, luteolin decreased TNF-α and IL-18 (P < 0.001) in a dose-dependent manner. It can be concluded that luteolin has a cardioprotective effect against HCHF diet-induced myocardial inflammation through antioxidant anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

Luteolin improves heart preservation through inhibiting hypoxia‑dependent L‑type calcium channels in cardiomyocytes

“…For longer storage, it is hypothesized that ultra-low or low temperature storage may be better alternative approaches (29). A recent study demonstrated that luteolin mitigated the myocardial inflammatory response induced by a high-carbohydrate/high-fat diet, thus supporting the conclusion of the current study (49). Although there are several technical obstacles, such as irreversible injury during freezing, developments in cellular and molecular techniques may provide breakthroughs in long-term heart preservation in the near future.…”

High‐Saturated Fat High‐Sugar Diet Accelerates Left‐Ventricular Dysfunction Faster than High‐Saturated Fat Diet Alone via Increasing Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Obese‐Insulin Resistant Rats

“…High‐saturated‐fat and high‐sugar consumption has become more popular in most nations worldwide despite the accumulative evidence that it is associated with cardiometabolic dysfunction . Both a high‐saturated‐fat diet (HFD) and high‐saturated‐fat, high‐sugar diet (HFHS) have been used to induce cardiometabolic dysfunction in animals in order to investigate the mechanism responsible for their adverse effects on the peripheral metabolism and left‐ventricular (LV) function . A high‐fat diet can be divided into high‐unsaturated fat diet and high‐saturated fat diet.…”

“…In addition, the HFD consumption is associated with cardiac autonomic imbalance, an increased blood pressure, leading to LV dysfunction . Similar to the HFD, there are studies reported that HFHS also caused obese‐insulin resistance and LV dysfunction, but it did not affect blood pressure in rodents …”

“…[1,2] Both a high-saturated-fat diet (HFD) and high-saturated-fat, high-sugar diet (HFHS) have been used to induce cardiometabolic dysfunction in animals in order to investigate the mechanism responsible for their adverse effects on the peripheral metabolism and leftventricular (LV) function. [3][4][5][6][7] A high-fat diet can be divided into high-unsaturated fat diet and high-saturated fat diet. Data from clinical and preclinical studies showed that a high-unsaturated fat diet consumption is related with an improved body composition and cardiac diastolic function in obese patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HF-pEF), and in obese mice.…”

“…[3,4,10] In addition, the HFD consumption is associated with cardiac autonomic imbalance, an increased blood pressure, leading to LV dysfunction. [3,4,11] Similar to the HFD, there are studies reported that HFHS also caused obese-insulin resistance and LV dysfunction, [6,7,12] but it did not affect blood pressure in rodents. [12] Recently, mitochondrial dysfunction has been proposed as an important regulator for controlling LV function during normal and pathological state.…”