Isolated compound from Gentiana kurroo suppresses beat rate without changing contractile fraction of cultured cardiomyocytes.

Heart failure remains a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality despite guideline-recommended pharmacological therapies. Recently, we isolated six bioactive compounds: crassifolin B, crassifolin L, chettaphanin I, cyperenoic acid, teucvidin, and methyl 9-(furan-3-yl)-2,7,13-trimethyl-4-oxo-10-oxatricyclo[5.3.3.01,6]trideca-5,8-diene-2-carboxylate from Gentiana kurroo Royle, a Himalayan medicinal plant. Although the potential beneficial effects of G. kurroo extract on tumour, obesity, and hepatic function have been reported, its impact on cardiac function remains unknown. We tested these compounds (0.1-10 μM, 48 h) on foetal rat-derived cardiomyocytes to assess contractile fraction, contraction velocity, beat rate, and cell viability. No compound altered contractile fraction, contraction velocity, or cell viability. Five compounds did not change beat rate while teucvidin significantly reduced beat rate across multiple concentrations. Although the mechanism of teucvidin's effect on contractile function was unclear, we found teucvidin potentially suppressed beat rate without impairing contractility or cell viability in cultured cardiomyocytes derived from foetal rats.