Visnagin ameliorates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury through the promotion of autophagy and the inhibition of apoptosis

Visnagin is a furanochromone and one of the main compounds of Ammi visnaga L. that had been used to treat nephrolithiasis in Ancient Egypt. Nowadays, visnagin was widely used to treat angina pectoris, urolithiasis and hypertriglyceridemia. The potential mechanisms of visnagin involved in inflammation and cardiovascular disease were also identified. But the protective effect of visnagin on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury has not been confirmed. Our aim was, for the first time, to investigate the potential protective effect of visnagin on cardiac function after myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in a rat model, and to identify its underlying mechanism involving the inhibition of apoptosis and induction of autophagy. Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into sham group, ischemia/reperfusion group (IR), ischemia/reperfusion with visnagin (IR + visnagin) group. Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury model was established. Hemodynamic measurements and echocardiography were used to analyze cardiac function; TUNEL staining and caspase activity, LC3 dots were detected with immunofluorescence staining, LC3 expression was evaluated by western blot analysis; transmission electron microscopy was used to detect autophagosomes. Compared with the sham group and visnagin group, the cardiac dysfunction; LC3II, autophagy flow in the IR + visnagin group increased significantly (P<0.01), but the activity of caspase-3 and caspase-9 and the apoptotic index in the IR + visnagin group decreased significantly (P<0.01). In conclusion, visnagin may play a protective role in ischemia/reperfusion injury by inducing autophagy and reducing apoptosis.