Olea europaea Leaves Extract: A Guard against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity

Background: Doxorubicin (DX) is a very potent chemotherapeutic agent, widely used against a variety of malignancies. However, it is associated with a number of organ toxicities i.e. cardiotoxicity, which tend to limit its use in cancer treatment. Recently, plant secondary metabolites have investigated for their chemo-preventive, anticancer as well as cardio-protective potentials. Aim: The current study was designed for the investigation of in-vivo cardio-protective potential of Olea europaea (OE) leaves extract against DX-induced cardiotoxicity in animal models. Methods: Eighteen male Wistar rats in three groups were employed in the study; the control group received only saline, DX group received DX (cumulative dose of 15 mg/kg for one week), while the DX+OE group received DX (15 mg/kg for one week) and OE leaves extract (200mg/kg for six weeks). The assessment methods involved estimation of serum biomarkers for cardiac toxicity including Troponin-I, CPK, CKMB, LDH, TC, TL, TGS, HDL, LDL, and transaminases (AST and ALT) and histopathological examination. Results: Results showed an ample amount of phenolic and flavonoid content in OE extract with promising antioxidant potential. The levels of Troponin-I, CPK, CKMB, LDH, TC, TL, TGS, LDL, and transaminases were significantly reduced in DX-OE pretreated group. This significant reduction in DX-induced increased levels of serum cardiac biomarkers prevented devastating effects on cardiac muscles which was also manifested by histopathological investigations. Conclusion: Conclusively, OE extract remarkably produced a characteristic protective effect on DX-induced cardiotoxicity by suppressing oxidative stress and apoptosis. OE extract can be a potential candidate for combination with DX to mitigate its cardiotoxicity in its long-term clinical use.