Intravenous rutin in rat exacerbates isoprenaline-induced cardiotoxicity likely due to intracellular oxidative stress.

Objectives: Rutin, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, a natural flavonol glycoside, has shown various in vitro benefits with potential use treating human diseases, especially cardiovascular system disorders. Antioxidant properties are assumed to underlie the majority of these benefits. Yet rutin pro-oxidant properties have been reported as well. Our research group has recently shown aggravating effects on isoprenaline (ISO)-induced cardiotoxicity in Wistar:Han rats after 24 hours.

Methods: This study was designed to examine in more detail the reasons for the negative effects of rutin (11.5 and 46 mg/kg, i.v.) after administration of ISO (100 mg/kg, s.c.) in rats within 2 hours of continuous experiment and in the H9c2 cardiomyoblast-derived cell line.

Results: Like our previous findings, rutin did not (11.5 or 46 mg/kg, i.v.) reduce the ISO-induced mortality within 2 hours although the lower dose significantly reduced cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and partly improved the histological findings. In contrast, the higher dose increased the mortality in comparison with solvent (1.26% w/v sodium bicarbonate). This was not caused by any specific haemodynamic disturbances. It appears to be associated with oxidative stress as rutin enhanced intracellular reactive oxygen species formation in vitro and had the tendency to increase it in vivo.

Conclusions: Rutin, likely due to its pro-oxidative effects, can exacerbate catecholamine cardiotoxicity depending on the dose used.