Cardioprotective Role of Scopoletin on Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarction in Rats

Scopoletin is a phenolic coumarin isolated from a variety of plants and was originally used to treat various diseases including arthritis as well as bone-related diseases. The goal of this study was to determine scopoletin's therapeutic potential in an animal model of myocardial infarction induced with ISO. There were five groups of albino male rats. Group I (control) animals were orally treated with olive oil. Group II (scopoletin) animals were pre-treated orally with a 50-mg dosage of scopoletin for 28 days. Group III (ISO-treated) animals were treated with 85 mg/kg of ISO subcutaneously for 2 consecutive days (29th and 30th day). Group IV (scopoletin and ISO) animals were pre-treated orally with 25 mg of scopoletin for 28 days before exposure to ISO. Group V (scopoletin and ISO) animals were pre-treated with 50 mg of scopoletin for 28 days before exposure to ISO. In the ISO-administered animals, a wider heart-to-body weight ratio, a higher heart weight, higher cardiac diagnostic markers, higher MDA levels and related antioxidant levels, inflammatory, and apoptotic markers were observed. Scopoletin pre-treatment with ISO (25 and 50 mg/kg b.wt) significantly reduced heart-to-body weight ratio, cardiac diagnostic markers, MDA, inflammatory markers, and apoptotic markers. Meantime, a pre-treatment with scopoletin increased the levels of antioxidant enzymes. Inflammation and necrosis were observed in the histopathology of heart tissue of ISO-treated animals and these histopathological conditions were reversed by scopoletin pretreatment. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of ISO-treated rats were shown to be increased by scopoletin, showing its therapeutic potential against cardiovascular diseases. Through the use of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, scopoletin exhibited anti-myocardial infarction properties. However, further preclinical studies will be required to demonstrate the mechanism of action of scopoletin involved in anti-myocardial infarction.