Optimization of Cardioprotective Potential of Various Concentrations of Medicinal Plants by Using Response Surface Methodology.

This study was aimed to optimize the various concentrations of selected medicinal plants through Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in conjunction with Central Composite Design (CCD) to assess their therapeutic doses for cardioprotection. Dose response relation is an important tool to study pharmacological efficacy and therapeutic index of herbal medicines. In this study the toxicological assay of various concentrations of Rauvolfia serpentina, Eletaria cardamom, Coriandrum sativum, Piper nigrum, Allium sativum, Crataegus oxyacantha and Terminalia arjuna was performed prior to in vivo evaluation. The toxicological findings depicted that none of the selected medicinal plant showed any toxicity, therefore is declared to be safe for various cardiovascular disease. Instead of in vivo trial of hundreds of the possible doses, RSM suggested only five doses (80, 110, 140, 170 and 200 mg/kg b.wt) to explore cardioprotective potential of selected medicinal plants in rats. Blood samples were taken at different time intervals to analyze the cardiac markers (CK-MB, LDH and SGOT). These cardiac markers were statistically analyzed by "RSM" to get the optimal therapeutic dose of each selected medicinal plants. The results revealed that the R. serpentina, C. oxyacantha, T. arjuna, E. cardamom, C. sativum, P. nigrum and A. sativum showed maximum cardioprotection at corresponding concentration of 164, 172, 165, 190, 183, 186 and 170 mg/kg b.wt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]