Abstract
Mitochondria play a central role in molecular events leading to tissue damage in ischemia. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of pretreatment with Spermacoce hispida seed extract on isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in heart mitochondrial function in experimental rats. Two different doses of the seed extract such as 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight was used to prove the cardioprotective effect against 100mg/kg body weight of isoproterenol (ISO) which was administered subcutaneously twice at an interval of 24 hours. ISO induced cardiotoxicity caused a significant decrease in the activities of TCA cycle enzymes such as Isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH), Malate Dehydrogenase(MDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), NADH dehydrogenase and Cytochrome-C-oxidase in heart mitochondria in rat model. Pretreatment with Spermacoce hispida seed extract attenuated these mitochondrial alterations and restored the TCA cycle enzyme activities to near normal values. The present findings indicate that the protective effect of seeds of Spermacoce hispida can be attributed to the activation of mitochondrial energy metabolism. The plant may have important implication for future therapeutic approaches involving in the prevention of coronary heart disease. This study identifies the membrane protective action of HAE pre treatment.