Effects of Individual and Combined Treatment with Melatonin and Dapsone on Cardiac Enzymes, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Isoprenaline-Treated Rats

Background: The potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of melatonin in addition to the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects of dapsone may combat against isoprenaline-induced cardiac changes in rats. Aim: To study the possible cardioprotective effects of melatonin and dapsone administration on possible ISO-induced changes in the myocardium of adult rats. Methods: Forty adult male wistar albino rats were randomly allocated into five equal groups: Control group (C), Isoprenaline (ISO)-treated group, melatonin and ISO-treated group (ISO+M), dapsone and ISO-treated group (ISO+D), and combined melatonin, dapsone and ISO-treated group (ISO+D+M). Concomitant treatments were administered for a duration of 28 days, while isoprenaline was administered on the 27th and 28th days. Then, blood samples were collected to measure serum cardiac enzymes, antioxidant activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and malondialdehyde, levels of inflammatory markers and apoptotic protein caspase-3 were measured in heart tissue homogenate. Results: Serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase and creatinine kinase MB were significantly decreased in ISO+M, ISO+D and ISO+D+M groups compared to ISO group. Cardiac levels of malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6 and caspase-3 were significantly lower, while cardiac tissue glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities were significantly higher in the same groups compared to ISO group, denoting significant improvement in oxidative, inflammatory, apoptotic cardiac parameters. ISO+D+M showed better improvement than individual treatment groups. Conclusion: The combined or individual treatment with melatonin and dapsone reduced cardiac inflammatory and oxidative stress changes induced by ISO, and improved cardiac dysfunction enzymes, with superior efficacy when combined