Effect of Imperatorin on Apoptosis of Myocardial Tissue in Diabetic Rats.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) represents a significant complication of diabetes, with a considerable number of deaths attributed to DCM on an annual global basis. We investigated the role and mechanism of action of imperatorin in the prevention and treatment of DCM using a diabetic rat model. The results of animal experiments showed that diabetic rats treated with imperatorin had lower levels of lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatine kinase MB isoenzyme, lower heart/body weight ratio, less pronounced histopathological changes in the myocardium, reduced expression of Caspase-3 and Bax, and increased expression of Bcl-2. Thus, imperatorin could attenuate pathological damage in diabetic myocardial tissue, which may be attributed to its regulatory effects on apoptosis.