Cassia fistula Linn, generally recognized as Indian laburnum, is one of the ancient trees in the Indian subcontinent used for its ornamental and diverse medicinal properties. It is known for its ethnic medicinal uses in inflammatory and infectious pathologies such as
antihelmintic,
purgative, carminative,
antipyretic,
expectorant,
analgesic,
laxative,
antiseptic, and
antidote against snake
poison. The Cassia bark is rich in
anthraquinones, flavanols
glycosides, and
sitosterols, which renders it cardioprotective properties. The existing experiments were designed to assess the potential of Cassia fistula bark against
isoproterenol (ISP)-induced
cardiotoxicity in rats, which has not been validated yet. The bark was successively extracted with five different
solvents, and each extract was subjected to in vitro
antioxidant studies. Further acute oral toxicity assays were carried out preceding in vivo myocardial studies.
Cardiotoxicity-inducing agent, ISP, was administrated to the rats for two consecutive days (8th and 9th). Based on in vitro studies, the Cassia fistula methanolic extract (CFME) was administered in two doses: CFME-LD (lower dose 250 mg/kg) and CFME-HD (high dose 500 mg/kg) separately. It was found that CFME produced a substantial decrease in lipid peroxidation and an increase in
antioxidants in myocardial tissues. CFME abrogated the levels of
triglyceride and total
cholesterol with a decrease in
alanine transaminase (ALT) and
aspartate transaminase (AST) activity in serum at both doses.
2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and histopathology also revealed the protective effects of CFME against ISP-induced
myocardial infarction. The study showed the significant role of the CFME as a strong
antioxidant and cardioprotective action in ISP-induced toxicity.