A NOVEL DEPSIDE SEKIKAIC ACID IS PROTECTIVE AGAINST CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE INDUCED CARDIOTOXICITY IN RATS

Background: Cyclophosphamide is a widely prescribed chemotherapeutic agent. Its toxic metabolites induce oxidative stress which burdens the cardiac tissue. With recent advancements in gaining deeper insight in natural antioxidants, Sekikaic acid (SA) is gaining popularity as a novel depside compound with significant organ protective potential. This study seeks to explore and assess the cardio-protective and antioxidant effects of sekikaic acid against anti-cancer drug toxicity. Methods: Experimental animals were divided into three groups: normal untreated control, cyclophosphamide toxic control, and cyclophosphamide with sekikaic acid group where sekikaic acid was administered for 14 continuous days followed by a single dose of cyclophosphamide. For assessing myocardial injury serum cardiac biomarkers (creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, troponin I, C-reactive proteins) and tissue oxidative stress markers (glutathione, super-oxide dismutases and malondialdehyde) were evaluated. Results: The control group demonstrated normal physiologic values of serum and tissue biomarkers. The toxic control demonstrated signs of cardiac injury with a single dose of cyclophosphamide, with raised levels of serum and tissue oxidative stress markers alongside receding natural antioxidant pools of glutathione and super-oxide dismutases. On the contrary the oxidative burden on myocardium was significantly reduced (p?0.05), and cellular antioxidants were preserved with co-administration of sekikaic acid validating its potential as a cardioprotective agent. Conclusion: The antioxidant potential of sekikaic acid can effectively ameliorate cyclophosphamide induced cardiotoxicity and can be incorporated in cyclophosphamide containing chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive regimens. Pak J Physiol 2025;21(2):38-41, DOI: https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v21i2.1776