Protective Effects of Polyphenols against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Abstract

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality across the world. It manifests as an imbalance between blood demand and blood delivery in the myocardium, which leads to cardiac ischemia and myocardial necrosis. While it is not easy to identify the first pathogenic cause of MI, the consequences are characterized by ischemia, chronic inflammation, and tissue degeneration. A poor MI prognosis is associated with extensive cardiac remodeling. A loss of viable cardiomyocytes is replaced with fibrosis, which reduces heart contractility and heart function. Recent advances have given rise to the concept of natural polyphenols. These bioactive compounds have been studied for their pharmacological properties and have proven successful in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Studies have focused on their various bioactivities, such as their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and free radical scavenging. In this review, we summarized the effects and benefits of polyphenols on the cardiovascular injury, particularly on the treatment of myocardial infarction in animal and human studies.

New Insight Into the Cardioprotective Effects of Allium ursinum L. Extract Against Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

“…Levels of NO 2 − in the I/R group were significantly increased at the end of the reperfusion period in comparison to S, which is in correlation with the decreased coronary flow in these rats. Degradation of NO responsible for maintenance of coronary vasodilatory response is in agreement with elevated NO 2 − levels (Bradic et al, 2019;Cebova and Pechanova, 2020). On the contrary, values of both NO 2 − and CF remained constant in AUE treated groups and might explain the results.…”

“…Namely, daily intake of AUE led to preserved coronary response which is reflected by constant values of coronary flow. This can be attributed to the influence of polyphenols to increase NO bioavailability by activating endothelial constitutive NO synthase (eNOS) which seems to be decreased in ischemic conditions (Cebova and Pechanova, 2020).…”

Joint Cardioprotective Effect of Vitamin C and Other Antioxidants against Reperfusion Injury in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

“…There are other important properties that can be relevant, especially in the heart, to confer cardioprotection, but this effect cannot be attributed to all polyphenols, since some of them had no significant effect on the resultant damage and others displayed undesired side effects [ 135 , 136 , 137 ]. Nevertheless, many natural types produce positive effects on the cardiovascular system and are characterized by their ability to scavenge oxygen-free radicals, maintain NO concentration, inhibit an excessive immune innate response, improve endothelial function, and reverse hyperlipidemia [ 138 ].…”

“…With regard to the use of polyphenols, care must be taken with the doses administered and the possible toxic and deleterious effects that they can cause, as in the case of C3OG, which, at the highest concentrations (50–100 µmol/L), does not ensure a greater effect but rather induces toxicity. Another difficulty is translating laboratory studies of polyphenols into clinical practice, given the existence of a certain inconsistency between preclinical and clinical trials, most likely dictated by the fact that metabolism and physiological concentrations were not taken into account [ 130 , 138 ].…”

Cardioprotective effect of Butanol Fraction of Rivea ornata against H2O2 Induced Oxidative Stress in H9c2 Cells: Role of its Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Effect

“…Diversified pharmacological actions of polyphenols includes antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic effect etc., can considered the polyphenolic compounds as potential candidates for oxidative stress induced cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis, hypertrophy, endothelial dysfunction and MI. Hence, prevention of this pathological phenomenon by giving polyphenolic rich extracts or fractions is gaining interest in the recent years [29]. Leaves of Rivea ornata were extracted with ethanol and further fractionated by different solvents from nonpolar to polar such as n-hexane, ethyl acetate and butanol to get the polyphenol rich fraction.…”