Investigation of the effect of amlodipine on experimental loperamide-induced cardiac injury in rats

Objective: The aim is to investigate the protective and therapeutic effects of amlodipine on cardiac toxicity induced experimentally with loperamide in rats. Materials and Methods: A total of 43 Wistar Albino rats were divided into 5 groups. In Group 1 (Control), 0.3 mL of saline solution was administered through an orogastric gavage for 10 days. Loperamide was administered at a dose of 6 mg/kg/day for 7 days via orogastric gavage to induce cardiotoxicity in groups other than the control group. As a protective measure, amlodipine was administered in combination with loperamide to Group 3 and Group 5 at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day for the first 7 days. As a therapeutic intervention, only amlodipine was administered to Group 4 and Group 5 at the same dose for 3 days following toxicity. At the end of the study, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) levels in the serum were analyzed using Elisa kits. Histological evaluation of the heart tissue was performed. Two independent groups were compared using Independent Samples T-Test, while more than two groups were analyzed using one way analysis of variance (Post Hoc: LSD, Bonferroni). Groups that did not show a normal distribution were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis one way analysis of variance. Results: The cTnI levels of Group 2 were found to be significantly higher than the control group (p<0.001). The MDA levels of Group 2 were significantly higher compared to the other groups (p<0.001). The SOD and CAT levels of Group 2 were found to be significantly lower than the other groups (p<0.001). The groups receiving loperamide showed an increase in histopathological parameters compared to the control group (p<0.05). The level of necrosis in Group 2 was significantly higher than in Group 3 and 5 (p<0.01). The level of certain histopathological features in Group 4 was significantly higher compared to Groups 3 and 5 (p<0.05). Conclusion: In light of all the findings in loperamide-induced cardiotoxicity, our results suggest that amlodipine may serve as a protective and therapeutic agent.