Abstract
The therapeutic value of doxorubicin as an effective antineoplastic agent is limited by its cardiotoxic side-effects. The administration of doxorubicin (10 mg/kg) to male Wistar rats induced necrosis and apoptosis in heart tissues. It also caused oxidative stress damage as evidenced by the elevation of malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl levels and catalase activity, accompanied by the concurrent depletion of total antioxidant capacity and of superoxide dismutase level in cardiac tissues. The doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and oxidative stress damage were also accompanied by increases of myeloperoxidase activity, total calcium content, and the expression of Bcl-2 protein in heart tissues. Most of these doxorubicin-induced biochemical and histological alterations were effectively attenuated by prior administration of purified standardized extract (1.5% withanolides; manufactured by Idea Sphere Inc., American Fork, UT, USA) of Withania somnifera (300 mg/kg). Thus, Withania may play a role in the protection against cardiotoxicity and thus might be a useful adjuvant therapy where doxorubicin is the cancer-treating drug.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 63-73 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Cell Biology and Toxicology |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2008 |
Keywords
- Apoptosis
- Cardiotoxicity
- Doxorubicin
- Protection
- Withania
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Toxicology
- Cell Biology
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis