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Positive Ionotropic Effects of Aqueous Extract of Terminalia Arjuna Bark on Adult Rat Ventricular Myocytes
Author(s) -
Oberoi Lalit Mohan,
Liu Shi Jesse
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.6.a1357-d
Subject(s) - terminalia arjuna , chemistry , ionotropic effect , contractility , aqueous extract , bark (sound) , inotrope , myocyte , tonic (physiology) , contraction (grammar) , combretaceae , pharmacology , traditional medicine , chromatography , terminalia , medicine , biochemistry , biology , ecology , receptor , nmda receptor
The bark of Terminalia Arjuna has been used as a cardiac tonic in traditional Indian medicine for centuries. Present investigations were undertaken to evaluate the acute effects of aqueous extract of Terminalia Arjuna bark (AETA) on contractility of adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVM). AETA was prepared by boiling the bark powder in MilliQ water for 15 min. After centrifugation, the supernatant was collected and yielded a concentration of 4.80±0.03 mg/ml. After incubation overnight in serum‐free medium and transfer in normal Tyrode’s solution, cell shortening (CS) of rod‐shaped ARVM with clear striations were elicited at 35–37 סC and monitored in response to a 10‐min exposure to AETA. The inotropic effect of AETA was compared with 10 nM isoproterenol (ISO). Results showed that AETA caused a concentration‐dependent increase in CS, reaching steady‐state in 5–7 min. The amplitudes of CS were increased by 131±24% (n=15, P<0.001) in the presence of 48±0.3 μg/ml AETA, similar to 172±70% (n=9, P<0.01) induced by ISO. However, the measured kinetic parameters of contraction were significantly different, including time to peak, half‐width duration of CS, and relaxation time. The recovery time after removal of these agents also differed significantly. In summary, AETA exerts a positive ionotropic effect on ARVM and contains a potential novel class of cardiac tonic molecules. (Supported in part by AHA‐HL‐0550134Z)