EVALUATION OF ANTI-HYPERTROPHIC POTENTIAL OF PIPER BETLE IN ISOPROTERENOL-INDUCED CARDIAC HYPERTROPHIC RAT MODELS

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-hypertrophic potential of the combination extract (chloroform, methanol, and ethyl acetate) of Piper betle in cardiac hypertrophic rat models. Methods: Isoproterenol (ISO) (10 mg/kg b. w., i.p., 7 days) was used to induce cardiac hypertrophy in male albino Wistar rats and simultaneously treated with the combination extract of P. betle (50 mg/kg b. w., oral, 7 days) and the standard drug losartan (50 mg/kg b. w., oral, 7 days) as reference. At the end of seventh day the biochemical estimations of glucose, protein, cholesterol, triglycerides, cardiac marker enzymes (SGOT, SGPT and LDH) and enzymic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase) were performed in the serum along with the targets of the study namely calcium and phosphorus. Heart tissues were subjected to histopathological analysis. All biochemical assays were statistically verified. Results: The status of cardiac hypertrophy was indicated by the increased heart weight (HW)/body weight (BW) ratio. The biochemical assays showed significant (p<0.05) increase in the levels of glucose, protein, and cholesterol and in the cardiac marker enzymes such as SGOT, SGPT, and LDH, whereas significant decrease in the serum calcium and phosphorus along with antioxidants were seen in the ISO-induced rats and these levels were restored to normal values by the treatment with P. betle. Conclusion: The combination extract of P. betle showed effect upon calcium and phosphorus levels besides reversing the other impacts of isoproterenol (β-adrenergic hypersignaling events) probably due to phytoconstituents of the plant which are hypothesized to be efficiently extracted in combination of organic solvents, and thus, these results indicate that the combination extract of P. betle possesses cardioprotective (anti-hypertrophic) effect