Abstract Doxorubicin (Dox) is a chemotherapy drug used for treatment of wide variety of cancers and the most effective antitumor agents, soon proved to be hampered by such serious problems as the development of cardiotoxicity and heart damage by producing free radicals and oxidative stress along the period of treatment. The current study aims at evaluating the cardio protective effect of Cymbopogon citrates known as lemon grass (LG) and the role of trace element selenium (SE), which is an essential element possessing antioxidant properties and has protective effects against toxicity of some drugs, in attenuating cardiac and heart damages induced by doxorubicin alone and in combination. Animals were divided into seven groups each of seven rats, normal control group; selenium group received (1.5mg/kg b. w., orally) for 7 days, LG group received (200mg/kg b.w. orally) for 7 days and doxorubicin -treated group injecting doxorubicin i.p. 48hrs before decapitation at a dose of (20 mg/kg b.w. / i.p). The doxorubicin – treated animals were divided into 3 groups, one (doxorubicin + SE), second group (doxorubicin + LG) and the third group (doxorubicin+ SE+ LG). Serum CK-MB, LDH, as cardiac damage markers; ALT, AST as indicator of hepatic damage and Urea, creatinine as indicator of renal damage, were measured. MDA, TAC, ROS, TP and genomic DNA, as cardiac oxidative status indices and cardiac antioxidant capacity, were also estemated. Histopathological changes in cardiac tissues were examined. Doxorubicin induced significant increase in serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH); CK-MB; alanine aminotransferase activities, Urea, Creatinine, malondialdehyde levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents. However, significant reduction in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total proteins (TP) were observed. Selenium and Lemon Grass pretreatment caused significant decrease in serum LDH and CK-MB levels; ALT, AST, Urea, Creatinine in serum, significant decrease in cardiac malondialdehyde, whereas, significant elevation in cardiac total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and Total protein (TP), compared to doxorubicin -treated group. Histopathological examination of cardiac heart, liver and kidney tissues confirmed with the previous biochemical results, also, genomic DNA of cardiac heart tissues confirmed with the previous biochemical results. Chronic doxorubicin administration caused cardio toxicity and DNA damage. Selenium (SE) and Lemon Grass (LG) pretreated exerted significant protection against DOX-induced cardiac damage.
Keywords Doxorubicin, Cymbopogon citrates, selenium, CK-MB, genomic DNA, TAC.