THE PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF MILK OF THISTLE AGAINST DOXORUBICIN OR METHOTREXATE INDUCED CARDIOTOXICITY

Doxorubicin (DOX) and methotrexate (MXT) are strong anticancer agents and gold standard therapy for several malignancies, with efficacy restricted by cardiotoxicity. Milk thistle extract (MTE) has demonstrated strong antioxidant and cytoprotective properties; we sought to determine the role of MTE in protection against Dox or MXT-induced cardiac damage.

A total of 35 white albino rats were divided into five groups: control, Dox alone (1.66mg/kg/48hr, IP) group, MXT alone (oral 0.5mg/kg/48hr, oral) group, Dox+MTE group (1.66mg/kg/48hr Dox IP+150mg/kg/day MTE oral), and MXT+MTE (0.5mg/kg/48hr MXT oral +150mg/kg/day MTE oral) group. The duration of experiment were seven days. A histopathological examination was done at the end of experimentation.

Dox and MXT use in the rat model has induced severe cardiotoxicity with inflammatory cell infiltration, structural damage of cardiac tissue, and morphological changes. Milk thistle pretreatment extensively saved cardiac architecture.

MTE use with Dox or MXT demonstrated marked cardioprotection potential via reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and cardiac tissue protection, suggesting that MTE could potentially emerge as a valuable tool to block cardiac complications in Dox- or MXT-treated patients.