Cardiotonic Activity of Alcoholic Bark Extract of Xylocarpus Granatum with Emphasis on Its Mechanism of Action

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to scan and evaluate cardiotonic activity of alcoholic bark extract of Xylocarpus granatum and to establish its mechanism of action. The alcoholic extract of the bark of Xylocarpus granatum was prepared by the process of continuous extraction (soxhlation). The cardiotonic activity of the extract was evaluated on isolated normal and hypodynamic frog heart using Syme’s technique. Potassium loss was estimated in the effluents collected from the isolated perfused hypodynamic heart (control and inhibitory activity of the extract was estimated using the same frog heart muscle. The extract showed dose dependent positive ionotropic effect on normal and hypodynamic frog heart, loss of potassium ions and the percentage inhibition of Na, K ATPase activity. The percentage inhibition of Na, K ATPase activity with digoxin at a dose of 300 μg was found to be 93.80 ± 1.98%. Similarly, the extract also showed dose dependent (2, 20, 200 mg) percentage inhibition of Na, K ATPase activity and was found to be 35.20 ± 4.96%, 40.10 ± 1.27%, 56.74 ± 3.01% respectively. Results clearly indicated that the bark extract of Xylocarpus granatum possesses significant cardiotonic activity and follows the similar mechanism of digoxin (inhibition of Na, K ATPase enzyme activity).