Nutritional Composition and Potential Actions of Bioactive Compounds From Wild Laurus nobilis in the Management of...

Wild Laurus nobilis fruits, a well-known dietary plant, have been documented to alleviate cardiopathy associated with pulmonary fibrosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unspecified. This current study aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic effects of wild L. nobilis fruits aqueous extract (LNAE) in mitigating pulmonary fibrosis-induced cardiopathy (PFC) in the bleomycin (BLEM) model. Six groups of male rats were included: control, BLEM-treated group, LNAE-treated (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg followed by BLEM), and gallic acid. In PFC, instillation of BLEM resulted in a significant increase in relative heart weight, associated with a marked elevation in creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities, as well as increased plasma levels of blood troponin, pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP), and CRP. However, treatment with LNAE significantly attenuated these alterations. Additionally, exposure to BLEM enhanced oxidative stress, lipo-peroxidation, and the levels of certain intracellular mediators in both plasma and tissue, and caused histological damage in the heart. More importantly, treatments with LNAE improved all these physiological and biochemical parameters. This study highlights the synergistic potential of phytoactive compounds in LNAE to alleviate heart conditions. These findings support the development of plant-based nutritional therapy as a novel strategy for the management of cardiovascular disorders.