The pharmacologically active components of Oxytropis falcata bunge reduce ischemic-reperfusion injury in the rat heart

Oxytropis falcata is used as the main material to prepare various Tibetan traditional medicine, which its activity was reported that anti-inflammation and analgesia. Flavonoids is the chemical basis for the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant efficacy. The influence of total flavonoids of Tibetan herb O. falcata on myocardial ischemic-reperfusion injury was investigated using ethanol, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extracts. Rats were pretreated with different concentrations of the extract for 7 days. The model of myocardial ischemic-reperfusion injury was established by ligating the left anterior descending (LAD) artery in the heart. Following reperfusion for 40 minutes, the enzyme activity of creatine kinase (CK), lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the rat serum were measured. The ultrastructural pathological change was observed under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The serum levels of CK, LDH, and MDA were reduced, and the activity of SOD and GSH-Px were increased significantly, by chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts (P<0.01, P<0.05). The ultrastructural pathological change in myocardial ischemic-reperfusion injury was alleviated by both extracts. The major components in chloroform extract were 7-hydroxy-flavonone and 2',4'-dihydroxy chalcone. 7-Hydroxy-flavanon naringenine naringetol and 2',4'-dihydroxy chalcone were the major components in ethyl acetate extract. Total flavonoids of Tibetan herb O. falcata might alleviate myocardial ischemic-reperfusion injury.