The effects of carvacrol on the cardiac apoptosis gene expression levels in heart tissue of obese male rats induced by high-fat diet

Objective: Animal studies have revealed that lipid accumulation in obese mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) leads to alterations in the structural and functional properties of cardiovascular tissues. The current study aimed to investigate apoptosis/anti-apoptotic markers in the heart tissue of rats fed with a HFD.Materials and Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats (weighing approximately ۱۸۰ grams) were randomly divided into three groups (n=۸ each group), including the control group (C), the high-fat diet group (HFD), and the high-fat diet + carvacrol group (HFD + Carva). Animals received a standard or HFD to induce obesity for three months. From day ۶۱ to ۹۰ in the HFD+Carva group, carvacrol was injected intraperitoneally (۵۰ mg/kg) every other day. At the end of the study, the heart tissue was examined for pathological changes and the mRNA levels of TNF-α, Bcl۲, Bax, and caspase۳ in the heart tissue by Real Time-PCR.Results: HFD-induced obesity led to increased TNF-α, caspase-۳, and Bax and decreased Bcl-۲ expression levels in heart tissue. Furthermore, histopathological changes in intracytoplasmic vacuole accumulation were evident in the HFD-obese animals. Carvacrol treatment significantly decreased the expression of Bax, TNF-α, and caspase-۳ and increased the expression of Bcl-۲ in heart tissue.Conclusion: In the findings, carvacrol was found to decrease the histopathological changes caused by HFD in heart tissue by suppressing the expression of genes involved in the apoptosis pathway.

کلیدواژه ها:

High-fat diet ، Obesity ، Carvacrol ، Apoptosis ، Heart tissue