The present study was designed to investigate the role of combined administration of
Ramipril and
Candesartan against in vitro
myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury in rat. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups (n = 6) and treated with saline (10 mL/kg),
Ramipril (2 mg/kg),
Candesartan (1 mg/kg), and the combination of both drugs, respectively 24 h before induction of global
ischemia (5 min of stabilization, 9 min of global
ischemia, and 12 min of reflow). Combination of
Ramipril and
Candesartan when compared to the monotherapy significantly increased the levels of
superoxide dismutase,
reduced glutathione,
catalase, and
nitric oxide and decreased the levels of
thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. In addition, the superior protective role of combination of
Ramipril and
Candesartan on
ischemia induced myocardial damage was further confirmed by well preserved myocardial tissue architecture in light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis studies. The combination was proved to be effective in salvaging the myocardial tissue against ischemic
reperfusion injury when compared to the monotherapy of individual drugs and further investigations on protective mechanism of drugs by increasing the
nitric oxide level at molecular levels are needed.