Extract from Teucrium polium L. Protects Rat Heart against Oxidative Stress Induced by Ischemic–reperfusion Injury

The deleterious effect of oxidative stress on myocardial ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) has already been shown in previous studies. Since Teucrium polium has anti‑oxidative and cardio‑protective properties, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of this plant on I/R injuries in the isolated rat heart.

The myocardial I/R injury of rat was created by Langendorff retrograde perfusion technology. The heart was preperfused with Krebs–Henseleit (K‑H) solution containing T. polium extract for 20 min before 20 min global ischemia, and then the reperfusion with K‑H bicarbonate buffer was conducted for 40 min. The left ventricular developed pressure and the maximum up/down rate of the left ventricular pressure (±dp/dtmax) were recorded by physiological recorder as the myocardial function. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) activities in the effluent were measured to determine the myocardial injury degree. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total thiol groups (−SH), superoxide anion dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in myocardial tissue were detected to determine the oxidative stress degree.

The results showed that the pretreatment with T. polium significantly enhanced cardiac parameters and the coronary artery flow, decreased the LDH, CK activities, and TBARS level, whereas it increased − SH groups, SOD and CAT activities.

Our findings indicated that T. polium could provide protection for heart against the I/R injury which may be related to the improvement of myocardial oxidative stress states.