Korean Anti-Inflammatory Compound Allergina Enhances Cardiac Contractile Function in Isolated Ventricular Cardiomyocytes

Abstract

Objectives:

The herbal compound Allergina has a long history in the clinical treatment of allergic inflammatory diseases in some countries including Korea. However, the direct effect of Allergina on ventricular contractile function has not been defined.

Design:

This study was designed to investigate the impact of Allergina on ventricular contractile function.

Settings:

Ventricular contractile function was examined in single isolated left ventricular cardiomyocytes.

Subjects/interventions:

Isolated cardiomyocytes from adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were electrically stimulated to contract at 0.5 Hz.

Outcome measures:

Mechanical and intracellular Ca²⁺ transients properties of cardiomyocytes were evaluated using an IonOptix Myocam^® (IonOptix Inc., Milton, MA) system and fura-2 fluorescent dye. Contractile properties analyzed included peak shortening (PS), time-to-peak shortening (TPS), time-to-90% relengthening (TR₉₀), and maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening (±dL/dt). Intracellular Ca²⁺ transients were evaluated as the fura-fluorescence intensity change (ΔFFI) and fluorescence decay time.

Results:

Allergina (10^-7–10^-3 mg/mL) significantly augmented PS in a dose-dependent manner with a maximal response of 50.4%. Allergina did not elicit any effect on TPS, TR₉₀, and ±dL/dt. Intracellular Ca²⁺ transients displayed consistent findings in that Allergina enhanced the electrically-stimulated increase in change of intracellular Ca²⁺ transients (ΔFFI) and slowed intracellular Ca²⁺ fluorescence decay without affect the resting intracellular Ca²⁺ levels.

Conclusions:

Collectively, these data demonstrated a direct cardiac stimulatory property of Allergina on cardiac contraction and intracellular Ca²⁺ transients in isolated left ventricular cardiomyocytes.