EFFECTS OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM) ON THE LEFT VENTRICLE MYOCARDIUM OF HIGH SALT-FED ADULT WISTAR RATS

Year 2016, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 21 - 29, 30.04.2016

Olusola S. Saka A. Omobola Komolafe Oludare Ogunlade A. Rotimi Owolabi Ahmed A. Olayode Babatunde E. Arayombo

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the beneficial effect of aqueous extract of garlic (Allium sativum) on the morphology of myocardium of left ventricle in high salt-fed diet Wistar rats.
Methods: Twenty-five female Wistar rats weighing 130–180 g were divided into five groups (n=5, each). Group A were fed with standard laboratory pellets, while Groups B, C, D and E were fed a high-salt diet for five weeks. Following this, daily administration of aqueous garlic extract was done orally to Groups C, D and E, respectively for 3 weeks. The left ventricle of the heart was excised, processed in paraffin wax and stained with haematoxylin and eosin, Masson’s trichrome and Verhoeff-Van Gieson stains. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze data, followed by Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) test for multiple comparisons.
Results: We found that the relative change in heart weight in the high salt-fed group was lower, though not statistically significant (p=0.175) than the control group. There was significant increase (p<0.05) in plasma levels of sodium and potassium in Group B when compared with control, but this was dose-dependently reversed by aqueous garlic extract in Groups D and E. Histological and histochemical results revealed morphological alterations in the left ventricle of Group B which were also reversed in Groups D and E.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that high salt diet-induced histochemical and histomorphological changes in the left ventricle of Wistar rats were significantly reversed by oral administration of garlic extract.

Keywords

garlic, heart, high salt diet, ventricle

References

• Ahn J, Jasmina V, Michel S, Dinko S, Edward DF. Cardiac structural
• and functional responses to salt loading in SHR. Am J Physiol
• Heart Circ Physiol 2004;287:H767–72.
• Susic D, Jasmina V, Frohlich E. Cardiovascular effects of inhibition
• of rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone system components in hypertensive
• rats given salt excess. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2010;298:
• –81.
• Ziegelhöffer-Mihalovicova B, Arnold N, Marx G, Tannapfel A,
• Zimmer HG, Rassler B. Effects of salt loading and various therapies
• on cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in young spontaneously hypertensive
• rats. Life Sci 2006;79:838–46.
• Levy D, Garrison RJ, Savage DD, Kannel WB, Castelli WP.
• Prognostic implications of echocardiographically determined left
• ventricular mass in the Framingham Heart Study. N Engl J Med
• ;322:1561–6.
• Devereux RB, Dahlof B, Gerdts E, Boman K, Nieminen MS,
• Papademetriou V, Rokkedal J, Harris KE, Edelman JM, Wachtell K.
• Regression of hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy by losartan
• compared with atenolol: the Losartan Intervention for Endpoint
• Reduction in Hypertension (LIFE) trial. Circulation 2004;110:
• –62.
• Burnier M, Phan O, Wang Q. High salt intake: a cause of blood
• pressure-independent left ventricular hypertrophy? Nephrol Dial
• Transplant 2007;22:2426–9.
• Messerli FH, Schmieder RE, Weir MR. Salt. A perpetrator of hypertensive
• target organ disease? Arch Intern Med 1997;157:2449–52.
• Yeh YY, Yeh SM. Homocysteine-lowering action is another potential
• cardiovascular protective factor of aged garlic extract. J Nutr
• ;136:745–9S.
• Mukherjee S, Lekli I, Goswami S, Das DK. Freshly crushed garlic is
• a superior cardioprotective agent than processed garlic. J Agric Food
• Chem 2009;57:7137–7.
• Harauma A, Moriguchi T. Aged garlic extract improved blood pressure
• in spontaneously hypertensive rats more safely than raw garlic.
• J Nutr 2006;136:769–73S.
• Reinhart KM, Coleman CI, Teevan C, Vachhani P, White CM.
• Effects of garlic on blood pressure in patients with and without systolic
• hypertension: a meta-analysis. Ann Pharmacother 2008;42:
• –71.
• Ried K, Frank OR, Stocks NP, Fakler P, Sullivan T. Effect of garlic
• on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis BMC
• Cardiovasc Disord 2008;8:13.
• Dhawan V, Jain S. Garlic supplementation prevents oxidative DNA
• damage in essential hypertension. Mol Cell Biochem 2005;275:85–
• Banerjee SK, Maulik SK. Effect of garlic on cardiovascular disorders:
• a review. Nutr J 2002;1:4.
• Reuter HD. Allium sativum and Allium ursinum. Part 2 pharmacology
• and medicinal application. Phytomedicine 1995;2:73–91.
• World Health Report. Monographs on selected medicinal plants.
• Geneva (Switzerland): World Health Organisation 1999;1:295.
• Sánchez de Medina F, Gámez MJ, Jiménez I, Jiménez J, Osuna JI,
• Zarzuelo A. Hypoglycemic activity of juniper “berries”. Planta Med
• ;60:197–200.
• Mütsch-Eckner M, Meier B, Wright AD, Sticher O. Gamma-glutamyl
• peptides from allium sativum bulbs. Phytochemistry 1992;31:
• –91.
• Lawson LD. The composition and chemistry of garlic cloves and
• processed garlic. In: Koch HP, Lawson LD, editors. The science and
• therapeutic application of allium sativum. Baltimore (MD): Williams
• and Wilkins; 1996. p. 37–107
• Obiefuna PC, Obiefuna IP. Salt-induced hypertension in rats alters
• the response of isolated aortic rings to cromakalim. West Indian Med
• J 2001;50:17–21.
• Drury RA, Wallington EA. Carleton's histological technique. 5th ed.
• New York: Oxford University Press; 1980. pp. 188-9, 237-40, 290–1.
• Masson, P. Some histological methods. Trichrome stainings and
• their preliminary technique. Bulletin of the International Association
• of Medicine. J Tech Methods 1929;12:75.
• Verhoeff FH. Some new staining methods of wide applicability.
• Including a rapid differential stain for elastic tissue. JAMA 1908;50:
• Resende MM, Mill JG. Effect of high salt intake on local reninangiotensin
• system and ventricular dysfunction following myocardial
• infarction in rats. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2007;34:274–9.
• Matavelli LC, Zhou X, Varagic J, Susic D, Frohlich ED. Salt loading
• produces severe renal hemodynamic dysfunction independent of
• arterial pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Am J Physiol
• Heart Circ Physiol 2006;292:814–9.
• Cordaillat M, Rugale C, Casellas D, Mimran A, Jover B. Cardiorenal
• abnormalities associated with high sodium intake: correction by
• spironolactone in rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol
• ;289:R1137–43.
• Du Cailar G, Ribstein J, Daures JP, Mimran A. Sodium and left ventricular
• mass in untreated hypertensive and normotensive subjects.
• Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 1992;263:H177–81.
• Banerjee SK, Mukherjee PK, Maulik SK. Garlic as an antioxidant:
• the good, the bad and the ugly. Phytother Res 2003;17:97–106.
• Sharifi AM, Darabi R, Akbarloo N. Investigation of antihypertensive
• mechanism of garlic in 2K1C hypertensive rat. J Ethnopharmacol
• ;86:219–24.
• Irani K. Angiotensin II-stimulated vascular remodeling: the search
• for the culprit oxidase. Circ Res 2001;88:858–60.
• Varagic J, Frohlich ED, Susic D, Ahn J, Matavelli L, Lopez B, Díez
• J. AT1 receptor antagonism attenuates target organ effects of salt excess in SHRs without affecting pressure. Am J Physiol Heart Circ
• Physiol 2008;294:853–8.
• Palmer BF. Managing hyperkalemia caused by inhibitors of the rennin-angiotensin aldosterone system. N Engl J Med 2004;351:585– 92.