Umbelliferone prevents isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury by upregulating Nrf2/HO-1 signaling, and attenuating oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death in rats
Osama Y. Althunibat, Maisa Siddiq Abduh, Mohammad H. Abukhalil, Saleem H. Aladaileh, Hamza Hanieh, Ayman M. Mahmoud
Abstract
The role of oxidative injury and inflammatory response in cardiovascular diseases and heart failure has been well-acknowledged. This study evaluated the protective effect of umbelliferone (UMB), a coumarin with promising radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory activities, on myocardial injury induced by isoproterenol (ISO) in rats. Rats received 50 mg/kg UMB orally for 14 days and 85 mg/kg ISO twice at an interval of 24 h. Administration of ISO elevated serum troponin I, creatine kinase-MB and lactate dehydrogenase, and caused histopathological alterations, including degeneration, fatty vacuolation, myolysis, and atrophy of myocardial fibers. Malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p65, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β were increased, whereas reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase were decreased in ISO-administered rats. UMB effectively ameliorated myocardial injury, alleviated cardiac function markers, MDA, NO, NF-κB p65, and the inflammatory mediators, and enhanced cellular antioxidants. Bax, caspase-3, and 8-OHdG were decreased, and Bcl-2 was increased in ISO-administered rats treated with UMB. In addition, UMB upregulated nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase (HO)-1 in the heart of ISO-administered rats. In conclusion, UMB can protect the myocardium from oxidative injury, inflammatory response, and cell death induced by ISO by upregulating Nrf2/HO-1 signaling and antioxidants.