Effect of geraniol on rat cardiomyocytes and its potential as a cardioprotective natural compound.

CRESPO R.; RODENAK KLADNIEW B,; WEI K; MERCOLA M ; HURTADO C

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LI reunion SAIB 2015; 2015

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

Heart damage is nowadays one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. We propose the monoterpene geraniol (G) as an agent that would render myocardial cells more resistant to deleterious effects such as ischemia (I) followed by reperfusion (R), high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or hypertrophy. These physiological and/or pathological stressors generate many alterations in cardiac myocytes and even cause cell death. We evaluated the effect of G on myocytes induced to oxidative stress and on two key signaling pathways enzymes that mediate some cardiovascular-protective effects: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and ERK1/2. Assays were performed in neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes isolated from 1?2-day-old rats. ROS levels were measured with fluorogenic probes in cells incubated with G for 24h and then subjected to oxidative stress conditions (150 µM H2O2) or to an IR model (hypoxia chamber 3% O2 for 1h and normoxic conditions for 1h). Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay and P-AMPK and P-ERK1/2 levels were determined by Western-blot. Our results showed that G (5-200 uM) decreased cardiomyocytes ROS levels, increased P-AMPK and decreased P-ERK1/2 revealing its actions in different biochemical mechanisms with cardioprotective effects. This study suggests that G could be a potential adjunct therapy to reduce or even prevent myocardial damage