Cardiovascular Research Advance Access first published online on July 16, 2008
This version [Corrected Proof] published online on July 29, 2008
Cardiovascular Research, doi:10.1093/cvr/cvn192
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ginkgo biloba extract 761 reduces doxorubicin-induced apoptotic damage in rat hearts and neonatal cardiomyocytes


1 Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, 160, Sec. 3, Taichungkang Road, Taichung 407, Taiwan, Republic of China
2 Department of Medicine, Surgery and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
3 Department of Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China
4 Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang-Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Linkoh, Taiwan, Republic of China
* Corresponding author. Tel: +886 4 23592525; fax: +886 4 23599257. E-mail address: 854k{at}vghtc.gov.tw; trliu{at}vghtc.gov.tw
Aims: The objective of this study was to investigate whether a cytoprotective herb-derived agent, Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb) 761, could have a beneficial effect on doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity in vitro and in vivo.
Methods and results: Primary cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were treated with the vehicle, doxorubicin (1 µM), EGb761 (25 µg/mL), or EGb761 plus doxorubicin. After 24 h, doxorubicin upregulated p53 mRNA expression, disturbed Bcl-2 family protein balance, disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential, precipitated mitochondrion-dependent apoptotic signalling, induced apoptotic cell death, and reduced viability of cardiomyocytes, whereas EGb761 pretreatment suppressed all the actions of doxorubicin. Similarly, rats treated with doxorubicin [3 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.) three doses every other day] displayed retarded growth of body and heart as well as elevated apoptotic indexes in heart tissue at both 7 and 28 days after exposure, whereas EGb761 pretreatment (5 mg/kg i.p. 1 day before each dose of doxorubicin) effectively neutralized the aforementioned gross and cellular adverse effects of doxorubicin.
Conclusion: Doxorubicin impairs viability of cardiomyocytes at least partially by activating the p53-mediated, mitochondrion-dependent apoptotic signalling. EGb761 can effectively and extensively counteract this action of doxorubicin, and may potentially protect the heart from the severe toxicity of doxorubicin.
KEYWORDS Ginkgo; Doxorubicin; Apoptosis; p53; Cardiomyocyte
Time for primary review: 30 days
Tsun-Jui Liu and Yueh-Chiao Yeh contributed equally to this paper.
![]()
CiteULike
Connotea
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
H.-C. Ou, W.-J. Lee, I-T. Lee, T.-H. Chiu, K.-L. Tsai, C.-Y. Lin, and W. H.-H. Sheu Ginkgo biloba extract attenuates oxLDL-induced oxidative functional damages in endothelial cells J Appl Physiol, May 1, 2009; 106(5): 1674 - 1685. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
