Sanjay Banerjee
Drug Discovery Research Center (DDRC), Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad 121001, India; [email protected] (S.A.M.); [email protected] (S.K.B.)
Milind Hote
Department of CTVS, AIIMS, New Delhi 110029, India; [email protected]
Sandeep Seth
Department of Cardiology, AIIMS, New Delhi 11029, India; [email protected]
Soheb Mohammed
Drug Discovery Research Center (DDRC), Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad 121001, India; [email protected] (S.A.M.); [email protected] (S.K.B.)
Background: The study was designed to explore any beneficial effect of Ocimum sanctum (Linn) (OS) in experimental pulmonary hypertension (PH) in rats. OS is commonly known as “holy basil” and “Tulsi” and is used in the Indian System of Medicine as antidiabetic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, adaptogenic, and cardioprotective. Methods: Monocrotaline (MCT) administration caused development of PH in rats after 28 days and rats were observed for 42 days. Treatments (sildenafil; 175 µg/kg, OS; 200 mg/kg) were started from day 29 after the development of PH and continued for 14 days. Parameters to assess the disease development and effectiveness of interventions were echocardiography, right and left ventricular systolic pressures, and right ventricular end diastolic pressure, percentage medial wall thickness (%MWT) of pulmonary artery, oxidative stress markers in lung tissue, NADPH oxidase (Nox-1) protein expression in lung, and mRNA expression of Bcl2 and Bax in right ventricular tissue. Results: OS (200 mg/kg) treatment ameliorated increased lung weight to body weight ratio, right ventricular hypertrophy, increased RVSP, and RVoTD/AoD ratio. Moreover, OS treatment decreases Nox-1 expression and increases expression of Bcl2/Bax ratio caused by MCT. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that OS has therapeutic ability against MCT-induced PH in rat which are attributed to its antioxidant effect. The effect of OS was comparable with sildenafil.
Keywords: Ocimum sanctum, pulmonary hypertension, echocardiography, percentage medial wall thickness, Nox
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