Inotropic and cardioprotective effects of Daucus carota Linn. on isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction

Daucus carota Linn. (Family: Umbeliferae) is an annual or biennial herb, whose roots are eaten raw and also cooked in many parts of the world. It is cultivated extensively through out the world including India. The root of the plant is used as a diuretic and inotropic (Chaterjee and Prakesh, 1995). The volatile oil from the seeds are reported to possess analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity (Prochezhian and Ansari, 2000). The roots are reported to possess hepatoprotective property (Bishayee et al., 1995). Extensive phytochemical investigations carried out on D. carota revealed the presence of many chemical constituents including flavanoids and glycosides such as apigenin-4-o-β-glucoside and apigenin-7o-β galacto pyranosyl β-D mannopyronoside (Kritikar and Basu, 1981), which are considered significant for inotropic property. All these factors and lack of scientific data on the cardiac activities led to the investigation of the inotropic and cardioprotective potential of D. carota Linn. aqueous extract in rat models. A Journal of the Bangladesh Pharmacological Society (BDPS) Bangladesh J Pharmacol 2008; 3: 74-79 Journal homepage: www.banglajol.info; www.bdjpharmacol.com Indexed in Bangladesh Journals Online, Directory of Open Access Journals, Google Scholar and HINARI ISSN: 1991-007X (Printed); 1991-0088 (Online); DOI: 10.3329/bjp.v3i2.849