Korean anti-inflammatory compound allergina enhances cardiac contractile function in isolated ventricular...

The herbal compound Allergina has a long history in the clinical treatment of allergic inflammatory diseases in some countries including Korea. However, the direct effect of Allergina on ventricular contractile function has not been defined.

This study was designed to investigate the impact of Allergina on ventricular contractile function.

Ventricular contractile function was examined in single isolated left ventricular cardiomyocytes.

Isolated cardiomyocytes from adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were electrically stimulated to contract at 0.5 Hz.

Mechanical and intracellular Ca2+ transients properties of cardiomyocytes were evaluated using an IonOptix Myocam (IonOptix Inc., Milton, MA) system and fura-2 fluorescent dye. Contractile properties analyzed included peak shortening (PS), time-to-peak shortening (TPS), time-to-90% relengthening (TR90), and maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening (+/- dL/dt). Intracellular Ca2+ transients were evaluated as the fura-fluorescence intensity change (DeltaFFI) and fluorescence decay time.

Allergina (10(-7) - 10(-3) mg/mL) significantly augmented PS in a dose-dependent manner with a maximal response of 50.4%. Allergina did not elicit any effect on TPS, TR(90), and +/-dL/dt. Intracellular Ca2+ transients displayed consistent findings in that Allergina enhanced the electrically-stimulated increase in change of intracellular Ca2+ transients (DeltaFFI) and slowed intracellular Ca2+ fluorescence decay without affect the resting intracellular Ca2+ levels.

Collectively, these data demonstrated a direct cardiac stimulatory property of Allergina on cardiac contraction and intracellular Ca2+ transients in isolated left ventricular cardiomyocytes.