Cardioprotective activity of Dasamula Arka in doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in Wistar Albino Rats: An in-vivo study

Background: Cardiovascular diseases and cancer are the two leading causes of death globally, with chemotherapeutic drugs being a common contributor to the development of dilated cardiomyopathy. Dexrazoxane, a medication used to protect the heart from the cardiotoxic effects of chemotherapy, itself produces a range of side effects. As the incidence of cardiac complications continues to rise, there is an urgent need for the medical field to develop more effective and safer cardioprotective drugs. Objective: To evaluate the cardioprotective activity of Dasamula arka in doxorubicin induced cardiomyopathy on Wistar albino rats. Materials and methods: Cardiomyopathy was induced in animals via intraperitoneal doxorubicin injection (3 mg/kg) every other day for 2 weeks. The animals were divided into 6 groups (6 animals each): Vehicle control, Negative control (Doxorubicin 3 mg/kg), Positive control (Dexrazoxane 30 mg/kg), and treatment groups receiving Dasamula arka at 0.432 mg/kg (half dose), 0.864 mg/kg (therapeutic dose), and 1.728 mg/kg (double dose) for 28 days. Dasamula arka was administered alongside doxorubicin from days 14–28. After treatment, blood was collected for biochemical analysis, heart weight was measured, and hearts were histopathologically examined. Result: Dasamula arka significantly normalized biochemical parameters, relative heart weight and histology findings compared to the untreated negative control group. The double-dose group showed slightly better cardioprotective effects than the positive control and other Dasamula arka groups. Conclusion : The present data indicate that Dasamula arka exhibits significant cardioprotective activity, effectively mitigating doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity in Wistar albino rats.