Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Roots Extract Mitigates Doxorubicin-Induced HematoCardiotoxicity in Male Albino Rats

The present study was designed to evaluate the probable ameliorative effect of dandelion extract against doxorubicin hemato-cardiotoxicity. To accomplish this study, four groups of male albino rats (n=7) were used as follow, Group I: served as a control group, Group II: received dandelion extract (200 mg/ kg), Group III: received doxorubicin (2.5 mg/kg) and Group IV: received dandelion extract and doxorubicin identically to groups II and III. Doxorubicin was administrated 3times/week for two consecutive weeks, while dandelion extract was administrated daily for two consecutive weeks before doxorubicin administration and continued during doxorubicin treatment. The results illuminated that, administration of doxorubicin has a deleterious effect on both of blood cellular components and cardiac tissues, which was indicated by significant pancytopenia (decrease in all blood cell types), elevated serum cardiac enzymes activity (CK-MB and LDH), increased serum level of cardiacrelated proteins (troponin I, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) with a depletion of cardiac tissues antioxidant (GSH, and SOD enzyme) and elevated lipid peroxide (MDA) level in this tissues. Coadministration of dandelion extract with doxorubicin significantly alleviated its hemato-cardiotoxic effect which was reflected positively on hematobiochemical changes and cardiac histopathological alterations.