Preventive effects of p-coumaric acid on lysosomal dysfunction and myocardial infarct size in experimentally induced myocardial infarction.

The present study was designed to evaluate the preventive effects of p-coumaric acid on lysosomal dysfunction and myocardial infarct size in isoproterenol induced myocardial infarcted rats. Male albino Wistar rats were pretreated with p-coumaric acid (8 mg/kg body weight) daily for a period of 7 days after which isoproterenol (100mg/kg body weight) was injected subcutaneously into rats twice at an interval of 24h (8th and 9th day).The activity/levels of serum cardiac diagnostic markers, heart lysosomal lipid peroxidation products and the activities of lysosomal enzymes (β-glucuronidase, β-galactosidase, cathepsin-B and cathepsin-D) were significantly (P<0.05) increased in the serum and heart of isoproterenol induced myocardial infarcted rats. Isoproterenol also lowered the activities of β-glucuronidase and cathepsin-D in the lysosomal fraction. The pretreatment with p-coumaric acid significantly (P<0.05) prevented the changes in the levels of lysosomal lipid peroxidation products and the activities of lysosomal enzymes. In addition, p-coumaric acid greatly reduced myocardial infarct size. p-Coumaric acid pretreatment (8 mg/kg body weight) to normal rats did not show any significant effect. Thus, this study showed that p-coumaric acid prevents lysosomal dysfunction against cardiac damage induced by isoproterenol and brings back the levels of lipid peroxidation products and activities of lysosomal enzymes to near normal levels. The in vitro study also revealed the free radical scavenging activity of p-coumaric acid. Thus, the observed effects are due to p-coumaric acid's free radical scavenging and membrane stabilizing properties.