protective effect of garlic against adriamycin cardiomyopathy: experimental study

ABSTRACT

The usefulness of adriamycin [ADR], a potent anti tuumor antibiotic, is limited by the development of life-threatening cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. The present study aimed to determine whether garlic has a protective effect against chronic ADR cardiotoxicity. The work was carried on 200 rats divided into four groups. The first group [control group] had animals received distilled water [vehicle] for 6 weeks. In the second group, ADR [cumulative dose, 15 mg/kg body wt divided into six doses was administered in rats in six equal doses by intraperitoneal injection [IP] over a period of 2 weeks. The third group contains rats which, were administcred garlic 250 mg/kg daily orally for 6 weeks [4 weeks before ADR administration and 2 weeks alternating with IP ADR injections]. The fourth group has animals administrated by garlic for 6 wecks. In the adriamycin group, increased oxidative stress was evidenced by a significant increase in myocardial TBARS thiobarbituric acid reactive substances] and decrease in myocardial SOD [superoxide dismutase], catalase and GSH [myocardial reduced glutathione] activity. Treatment with garlic was accompanied by an increase in myocardial GSH catalase and SOD activities with a concomitant decrease in lipid peroxidation. Under electron microscopy, extensive sarcoplasmic vacuolization and severe disruption of mitochondrid fine structure were observed in ADR treated rats, but mininial d sarcoplasmic vacuolization was observed, and the mitochondrial structural changes were decreased in the garlic treated rats. These data show for that garlic can provide protection against ADR cardiomyopathy. This protective effect of garlic may be related to the maintenance of the antioxidant status of the heart