Positive Health Online

Abstract

MUKHERJEE and COLLEAGUES, Division of Cardiotoxicity, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, India studied the cardioprotective role of melatonin (Mel), alpha lipoic acid (ALA), a combination of melatonin and alpha lipoic acid (Mel + ALA) against cadmium (Cd)-induced oxidative damage.

Background

The present study evaluates the cardioprotective role of melatonin (Mel), alpha lipoic acid (ALA), a combination of melatonin and alpha lipoic acid (Mel + ALA) against cadmium (Cd)-induced oxidative damage.

Methodology

Female albino rats were subjected to 15-day exposure to Cd (5.12 mg/kg bw) alone or treated with ML (10 mg/kg bw) + ALA (25 mg/kg bw) simultaneously. Plasma markers of cardiac damage, cardiac free radical generation, lipid peroxidation, endogenous antioxidant status, cadmium load, metallothionein induction, and histopathology were evaluated in various experimental groups.

Results

Combination of Mel + ALA significantly prevented leakage of marker enzymes of cardiac damage, changes in cardiac free radical generation, endogenous antioxidants, antioxidant status, structural alterations and augmented the degree of metallothionein (MT) induction. The results demonstrate that ML + ALA co-administration effectively protected against Cd-induced cardiac oxidative damage.

Conclusion

A combination of melatonin and alpha lipoic acid has greater cardioprotective effect than either of them singly against cadmium-induced oxidative damage.

References

Mukherjee R, Banerjee S, Joshi N, Singh PK, Baxi D and Ramachandran AV.  [Erratum appears in Cardiovasc Toxicol. 2011 Mar;11(1):89-90] Source Cardiovascular Toxicology. 11(1): 78-88. Mar 2011.