| Abstract |
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Medicinal plants are sources of important therapeutic aids for alleviating human diseases. Terminalia arjuna Linn. (family- Combretaceae) is used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The present study was designed to investigate the cardioprotective effect of ethanol and aqueous extracts of T. arjuna bark against isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction. Myocardial infarction in rat was induced by the administration of isoproterenol at a dose of 85 mg/kg, i.p., the rats were pretreated with the ethanol and aqueous extracts of T. arjuna in the dose of 250 mg/kg through the oral route. Isoproterenol alone- treated rats showed serum totals cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL levels were significantly increased and HDL level was decreased and, decreased myocardial tissue levels and increased serum concentration of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), and aspartate amino transferase (AST) levels due to myocardial damage produced by isoproterenol. This is further conformed by histopathological changes of heart tissues. The oral administration of T. arjuna bark extracts significantly restored the level of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, HDL and Myocardial and serum LDH, CK, AST. The extract effect was compared with standard drug verapamil which also offered similar protection in biochemical and histopathological changes. The overall conclusion, Terminalia arjuna bark possess significant cardioprotective activity. |
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