Cardioprotective Property of Extracts of Dialium guineense Stem Bark in Rats Exposed to CCl4 |Biomedgrid

The aim of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective property of extracts of Dialium guineense stem bark in rats exposed to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). A total of twenty-five (25) adult male Wistar rats, which weighed between 170 and 190 g (mean weight = 180±10 g) were randomly assigned to five groups (5 rats per group): normal control, CCl4 control, silymarin, aqueous extract and ethanol extract groups. Cardiac injury was induced with CCl4 (single oral dose of 1.0 mL/kg body weight, bwt). Rats in the silymarin group were administered 100 mg silymarin/kg bwt (standard cardioprotective drug), while those in the two treatment groups received 1000 mg/kg bwt of aqueous or ethanol extract for a period of 28 days. Activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), level of nitric oxide (NO) as well as atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) were measured. Rat heart was also subjected to histopathological examination. The results showed that the activity of AST as well as levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), AIP, atherogenic coefficient (AC) and cardiac risk ratio (CRR) were significantly higher in CCl4 control group than in normal control group, but they were markedly reduced after treatment with extracts of D. guineense stem bark (p < 0.05). However, the extracts significantly promoted the release of NO from the coronary endothelium of rats exposed to CCl4 (p < 0.05). Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) markedly disrupted the normal architecture of rat's hearts inducing fibrosis, necrosis, and haemorrhage. However, treatment with aqueous and ethanol extracts of the medicinal plant led to marked regeneration of cardiomyocytes. The toxic cardiac injury induced by CCl4 was significantly blocked by the plant extracts.