Protective effect of carvacrol in a cardiac myoblast cell model of myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury.

Phytopharmacology has become a key approach for developing new therapeutic strategies by utilising the diverse bioactive properties of plant-derived compounds to treat complex diseases, including cardiovascular disorders. Myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury presents a major challenge in the management of acute myocardial infarction by worsening myocardial damage through oxidative stress, apoptosis, and cellular senescence. Carvacrol, a monoterpenoid phenol present in plants such as Origanum vulgare, possesses potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study investigates carvacrol's cardioprotective effects in an H9C2 cardiac myoblast model of I/R injury.Cardiac myoblast cells were exposed to an ischaemic buffer to simulate I/R conditions, with carvacrol administered at a sub-cytotoxic dose of 12.5 µg/mL prior to exposure. Carvacrol significantly enhanced cell viability by 77.37% restoration, reduced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release (from 330.5 ± 25.3 to 160.8 ± 15.7 U/mL, p < 0.01), suppressed reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, inhibited caspase-3 and -8 activities, and mitigated cellular senescence as evidenced by reduced β-galactosidase staining. Additionally, carvacrol restored the expression of the myogenin gene, which was downregulated by ischaemic injury.These findings highlight carvacrol's antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-senescence, and gene-regulatory properties, positioning it as a promising therapeutic candidate for mitigating myocardial I/R injury.