Protective Effects of Raspberry Ketone against Isoproterenol-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy in Wistar Rats

Raspberry ketone (RK) is an active constituent obtained from Rubus idaeus (Rosaceae), which has been traditionally used against diabetes, hypertension, etc. The objective of this study was to assess the cardioprotective effect of RK against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac hypertrophy in Wistar rats. Rats were arbitrarily divided into six groups and were treated daily with raspberry ketone (100 and 200 mg/kg), fenofibrate (80 mg/kg) and propranolol (10 mg/kg) along with ISO (3 mg/kg, subcutaneously) for 28 days. Twenty-four hours after the last dose administration, serum and heart tissue samples from the animals were taken and their hemodynamic (blood pressure, heart rate], biochemical (CK-MB, LDH, troponin-T, PPAR-α, apolipoprotein C III, c-reactive protein, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein, malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase, total antioxidant capacity, and nitric oxide), histopathological, and immunohistochemical (caspase-3, nuclear factor-κB, tumor necrosis factor-α) analysis was performed along with gravimetric analysis. Administration of ISO significantly altered the cardiac integrity and physiology and these changes were significantly averted by the administration of RK (100 and 200 mg/kg). These results were also found to be comparable with those of the standard drugs, fenofibrate and propranolol. The assessment of cardiac morphology by histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis further validated these results. This study thus demonstrated that RK at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg showed a dose-dependent decrease in inflammation, oxidative stress, and dyslipidemia against ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy in Wistar rats, which could be due to agonistic action of RK at PPAR-α receptor subtype.