Possible Therapeutic Effect of Anisodamine on Heart Complications Induced by Irradiation

Radiation-induced heart disease is becoming an increasing concern for patients and clinicians alike as the use of radiation therapy for the treatment of certain malignancies increases. Anisodamine (ANI) is a naturally occurring atropine derivative, first isolated in China it has capability of improving the microcirculatory flow, ANI has been reported to work as an anti-shock medicine to treat burn shock, septic shock, So the object of this study is to investigate the beneficial therapeutic effects of anisodamine on the complications occurred to heart after exposure to ionizing radiation. Forty female Wistar rats, weighing 150 ±21 g were randomly divided into four groups: group I (normal control group), group II (control group administrated ANI 2mg/kg), group III: (irradiated group with 5 Gy ? irradiation single dose) and group IV (irradiated group with 5 Gy ? irradiation single dose and treated with ANI 2mg/kg) drugs were given i.p. to the experimental groups daily for 15 days after irradiation and saline was given i.p. to the control group. The results of the present study showed benefit effects of the anticholinergic anisodamine, administration of ANI remarkably reduced the plasma concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), and increased high density lipoproteins (HDL) as compared with group of rats exposed to ? irradiation. It also reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in heart tissues of treated group as compared with irradiated group, and significantly decreased (p< 0.05) the concentration of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-?) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM) in heart tissues of the treated group with ANI as compared with irradiated group. Also the results revealed up-regulation in monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and copeptine genes in group of rats exposed to ionizing radiation, anisodamine alleviated the inflammatory damage by significantly reducing the expressions of these genes as indicated in the treated group. Histopathological observation showed haemorrhages in the pericardium as well as in between the myocardial bundles in focal manner in group of rats irradiated with acute dose gamma irradiation, and ANI treatment markedly improved haemorrhages in the pericardium but there were hyalinization and granular degeneration in the myocardium. These results indicated that ANI has the benefit effects on heart damage resulting from exposure to gamma irradiation.