Oxysophoridine attenuates the injury caused by acute myocardial infarction in rats through anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic pathways.

Oxysophoridine (OSR), a natural alkaloid derived from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant sophora alopecuroides, can perform a variety of pharmacological actions. The aim of the present study was to assess the cardioprotective effect of OSR against acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in rats. OSR markedly reduced infarction size and levels of specific myocardial enzymes, including creatine kinase, the MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase and cardiac troponin T. A reduced level of malondialdehyde was observed, and elevated catalase, Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), Mn-SOD, non-enzymatic scavenger glutathione and glutathione peroxidase activity were also identified in the OSR-treated rats. Additionally, OSR inhibited the activities of various inflammatory cytokines in a dose-dependent manner. These included nuclear factor-κB p65, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β, -6 and -10. Furthermore, OSR treatment suppressed caspase-3 activity in a dose-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that OSR ameliorates cardiac damage in a rat model of AMI and that this cardioprotection may be linked with its anti-oxidative, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties.