Hawthorn Leaves Extract Suppress the Cardiotoxicity-induced by Doxorubicin in Rats: Mechanistic Study

Cardiovascular diseases from the primary death causes worldwide. Doxorubicin (DOXO) consider one from the most widely and potent anticancer drugs. Free radicals are responsible for cardiotoxicity induced by DOXO. Hawthorn leaf has potent antioxidant, anti-cardiac remodeling, vasodilating, anti-inflammatory and anti-reperfusion/ischemia injury. The current work was aimed to investigate the possible action of hawthorn leaves methanolic extract (HLME) on the damage effects of DOXO in heart tissue. Adult male rats (n=40) were equally divided into 4 groups; Control (Con), DOXO, HLME and HLME+ DOXO groups. The HLME (400 mg/kg) was administrated for 3 weeks before intraperitoneal (i.p) injection with DOXO (20 mg /kg, single dose). Serum cardiac function enzymes, cardiac antioxidant biomarkers and serum inflammatory biomarkers were determined. As well as the cardiac muscle in all groups were histopathologically examined. Pre-treatment with HLME significantly lowered the elevated serum cardiac function activities and inflammatory cytokine biomarkers, as well as ameliorated cardiac antioxidant biomarkers via decreasing oxidative stress and increasing antioxidant status. The histopathological examination of cardiac muscle tissue confirmed these results. Therefore, the HLME has cardio protection effect against DOXO induced cardiotoxicity in rats, this effect could be explained via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

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