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Assessment of thymoquinone effects on apoptotic and oxidative damage induced by morphine in mice heart

Cyrus Jalili1, Maryam Sohrabi1, Faramarz Jalili2

  • 1Fertility and Infertility Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.

Cellular and Molecular Biology (Noisy-Le-Grand, France)
|July 22, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Thymoquinone (TQ) mitigates morphine-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in male mouse hearts. This antioxidant compound improved apoptotic gene expression and restored antioxidant capacity, offering cardioprotective effects against morphine toxicity.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Research
  • Pharmacology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Opioid receptors are present in the central nervous system and cardiovascular tissues.
  • Morphine can induce oxidative stress, potentially leading to cellular damage.
  • Thymoquinone (TQ) exhibits known antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cardioprotective effects of Thymoquinone (TQ) against morphine-induced apoptosis in male mice.
  • To analyze the impact of TQ on apoptotic gene expression (p53, Bax, Bcl-2) in cardiac tissue.
  • To evaluate the influence of TQ on oxidative stress markers, including nitric oxide (NO) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC).

Main Methods:

  • Real-time PCR was employed to quantify mRNA expression of apoptotic genes (p53, Bax, Bcl-2).
  • Griess assay was used to measure serum nitric oxide (NO) levels.
  • Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was assessed to determine the overall antioxidant status.
  • Mice were divided into control, morphine-treated, and TQ plus morphine-treated groups.

Main Results:

  • Morphine administration significantly increased p53 and Bax mRNA expression while decreasing Bcl-2 mRNA expression.
  • TQ treatment (9 and 18 mg/kg) in combination with morphine significantly reduced NO levels and increased TAC.
  • TQ co-administration notably reversed the effects of morphine on apoptotic gene expression, decreasing p53 and Bax while increasing Bcl-2 mRNA levels.

Conclusions:

  • Thymoquinone (TQ) demonstrates significant cardioprotective effects against morphine-induced apoptosis in mice.
  • TQ's antioxidant properties help to ameliorate the detrimental effects of morphine on cardiac tissue.
  • TQ represents a potential therapeutic agent for mitigating opioid-induced cardiotoxicity.
Keywords:
ApoptosisMorphineP53.Thymoquinone

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