Cardioprotective effect of gemmotherapeutically treated Withania somnifera against chemically induced myocardial injury

The present study was designed to evaluate the preventive and curative cardioprotective potential of native and gemmotherapeutically treated on the basis of biochemical,histopathological and antioxidant parameters in the salbutamol (albuterol) induced myocardial necrosis in rabbits. gemmotherapy is a newly emerging way of treatment and no work so far has been done on evaluation of curative cardioprotective potential of withania somnifera. rabbits were divided into eight main groups: normal,ischemia,ws gemmo-baseline,ws native-baseline,ws gemmo-preventive,ws native-preventive,ws gemmo-curative and ws native-curative groups. gemmo and native-baseline groups were treated with gemmo and native w. somnifera (50 mg/kg) for 20 days. native and gemmo-preventive groups were pre-treated with native and gemmotherapeutically treated w. somnifera at a dose 50 mg/kg for 3 weeks. on 20th and 21st day animals of all groups except normal and baseline groups were given salbutamol (50mg/ kg),orally at an interval of 24 h. the native-curative and gemmo-curative groups were then treated with native and gemmotherapeutically treated w. somnifera at a dose 50 mg/ kg for 5 days,subsequent to the treatment with salbutamol. rabbits were subsequently sacrificed for gross pathological studies and hearts were removed for antioxidant assay. administeration of salbutamol significantly increased (p<0.05) the serum level of ck-mb,ldh,sgot and sgpt in ischemia group as compared to normal. however,pre- and post-treatment with native and gemmo extracts of w. somnifera significantly restored and reduced (p<0.05) the elevated serum levels of these cardiac markers. also native and gemmo extracts of w. somnifera significantly increased (p<0.05) antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase,catalase and glutathione peroxidase. no significant change was observed in the activity of cardiac enzymes in baseline groups. protective actions of w. somnifera on heart have also been confirmed by gross pathology.