Abstract

Nelumbinis Semen (NS), or lotus seed, is one of the most well-known traditional herbal medicines and is frequently used to treat cardiovascular symptoms in Korea. The anti-ischemic effects of NS on ischemia-induced isolated rat heart were investigated through analyses of changes in blood pressure, aortic flow, coronary flow, and cardiac output. The subjects in this study were divided into two groups: a control, untreated ischemia-induced group, and an ischemia-induced group treated with NS. There were no significant differences in perfusion pressure, aortic flow, coronary flow and cardiac output between the groups before ischemia was induced. The supply of oxygen and buffer was stopped for ten minutes to induce ischemia in isolated rat hearts, and NS was administered during ischemia induction. NS treatment significantly prevented decreases in perfusion pressure, aortic flow, coronary flow and cardiac output under ischemic conditions (p<0.01). In addition, the mechanism of the anti-ischemic effects of NS was also examined through quantitation of intracellular calcium content in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes. NS significantly prevented intracellular calcium increases induced by isoproterenol (p<0.01). These results suggest that NS has distinct anti-ischemic effects through calcium antagonism.

Author keywords

Anti-ischemic effect; Calcium antagonism; Cardiomyocyte; Isoproterenol; Nelumbinis Semen; Traditional herbal medicine

Indexed keywords

EMTREE drug terms: calcium; plant extract

EMTREE medical terms: animal; article; chemistry; coronary artery blood flow; diagnostic imaging; dose response; drug effect; heart contraction; heart muscle cell; heart muscle ischemia; heart output; heart rate; high performance liquid chromatography; in vitro study; Lotus; male; metabolism; newborn; pathophysiology; plant seed; rat; reperfusion injury; Sprague Dawley rat

MeSH: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Calcium; Cardiac Output; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Coronary Circulation; Diagnostic Imaging; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Heart Rate; Lotus; Male; Myocardial Contraction; Myocardial Ischemia; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury; Myocytes, Cardiac; Plant Extracts; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Seeds
Medline is the source for the MeSH terms of this document.

Chemicals and CAS Registry Numbers: calcium, 14092-94-5, 7440-70-2;Calcium, 7440-70-2; Plant Extracts