Interleukin-37 has A Promising Cardioprotective Effect on Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarction

The main cause of mortality and disability globally is myocardial infarction (MI). Isoproterenol (ISO), a β-adrenoceptor agonist, has been used to induce rat myocardial necrosis. Whereas interleukin-37 (IL-37) has anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties. The study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of IL-37 administration on cardiac architecture, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers during ISO-induced MI in rats. Three groups of adult male rats were used in this study, the normal control group (n=8), ISO-induced MI group (n=8) that received isoproterenol hydrochloride (ISO) (100 mg/kg/day, SC, for the first 2 consecutive days), and IL-37-treated group (ISO+IL-37) (n=8) that received recombinant human IL-37 (40 µg/kg /day, intraperitoneally, for 2 weeks during and after ISO injections. Heart rate (HR.) and ECG changes were monitored. Some oxidative stress markers such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide (NOx), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) tissue levels in the tissue homogenate were assayed. Interleukin- 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α), caspase-8, P53, and C- reactive protein (CRP) were among the inflammatory markers examined. In addition, serum levels of creatinine kinase (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were analyzed to evaluate the myocardial injury. For histological analysis, tissues were sectioned, fixed in paraffin, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson Trichrome and, immunohistochemical against NF-kB, TNF-α, and Caspase-9. IL-37 improved ECG changes, cardiac enzyme markers, and some inflammatory markers of oxidative stress in ISO-induced MI. It also improved the histopathological and immunohistochemical changes in MI. In conclusion: IL-37 might be a promising therapeutic modality in myocardial infarction.