Synthetic catecholamine triggers ß1-adrenergic receptor activation and stimulates cardiotoxicity via oxidative stress mediated apoptotic cell death in rats: Abrogating action of thymol.

Nowadays, there are considerable interests in the studies which are more connected with the impact of natural antioxidants against the free radical mediated damage in biological systems. Cardiotoxicity is one of the lethal manifestations of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) which have been associated with the incidence of apoptotic cell death due to oxidative stress. We evaluated the impact of thymol, a dietary monoterpene phenol on isoproterenol (ISO), a synthetic catecholamine and a ß1-adrenergic receptor agonist in rats. Thymol (7.5 mg/kg body weight) was pre and co-treated into male albino Wistar rats daily for a period of 7 days. Induction of cardiotoxicity was done by the subcutaneous administration of ISO (100 mg/kg body weight) into rats on 6th and 7th day. Cardiotoxicity in rats was confirmed by the increased levels/activity of serum troponin-T and creatine kinase in the serum alongwith decreased activity of creatine kinase in the heart. ISO induced cardiotoxic rats also showed a significant increase in the concentrations of lipid peroxidation products and a significant decrease in the activities/levels of antioxidants in the myocardium whereas Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction study revealed an increased expression of caspase-8, caspase-9 and Fas genes along with a decreased expression of Bcl-xL gene in the myocardium. Thymol pre and co-treated ISO induced cardiotoxic rats showed considerable protective effects on all the biochemical parameters studied. Histopathological and in vitro findings are found in line with our biochemical findings. Thus, the present study revealed that thymol counters ISO induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptotic cell death in rats by virtue of its potent antioxidant property.

Thymol, a dietary monoterpene phenol abrogates mitochondrial dysfunction in ß-adrenergic agonist induced myocardial infarcted rats by inhibiting oxidative stress.

Mitochondrial dysfunction has been suggested to be one of the important pathological events in isoproterenol (ISO), a synthetic catecholamine and ß-adrenergic agonist induced myocardial infarction (MI). In this context, we have evaluated the impact of thymol against ISO induced oxidative stress and calcium uniporter malfunction involved in the pathology of mitochondrial dysfunction in rats. Male albino Wistar rats were pre and co-treated with thymol (7.5 mg/kg body weight) daily for 7 days. Isoproterenol (100 mg/kg body weight) was subcutaneously injected into rats on 6th and 7th day to induce MI. To explore the extent of cardiac mitochondrial damage, the activities/levels of cardiac marker enzymes, mitochondrial lipid peroxidation products, antioxidants, lipids, calcium, adenosine triphosphate and multi marker enzymes were evaluated. Isoproterenol induced myocardial infarcted rats showed a significant increase in the activities of cardiac diagnostic markers, heart mitochondrial lipid peroxidation, lipids, calcium, and a significant decrease in the activities/levels of heart mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione, isocitrate, malate, α-ketoglutarate and NADH-dehydrogenases, cytochrome-C-oxidase, and adenosine triphosphate. Thymol pre and co-treatment showed near normalized effects on all the biochemical parameters studied. Transmission electron microscopic findings and mitochondrial swelling studies confirmed our biochemical findings. The in vitro study also revealed the potent free-radical scavenging activity of thymol. Thus, thymol attenuates the involvement of ISO against oxidative stress and calcium uniporter malfunction associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in rats.