Aloin alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats by abrogating oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Aloin, an anthraquinone present in the aloe species, possesses antiangiogenic, chemopreventive and antioxidant properties. It exerts cytotoxicity against breast cancer and ovarian cancer cell lines. These properties of aloin project it as a chemopreventive adjuvant to anticancer chemotherapy. We evaluated the effect of concurrent oral administration of aloin against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. The protective effects of aloin against DOX-induced toxicity were evident as a statistically significant inhibition of a rise in the biochemical markers of myocardial damage including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatinine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Aloin dose dependently inhibited the DOX-induced changes in ECG like increased ST-height and prolonged QT interval. It protected heart against the lipid peroxidation and restored the levels of antioxidative defenses: reduced glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase. Aloin prominently reduced the levels of proinflammatory cytokines- TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. Notably, the significant protective effects of aloin were evident even at the strikingly lower doses of 1 and 5 mg/kg per day. Our results highlight the necessity to further investigate the chemopreventive effects of aloin against other chemotherapeutic agents.