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. 2017 Mar 20;22(3):488. doi: 10.3390/molecules22030488

Figure 3.

Figure 3

(A) Effect of bitter melon (BM) extract on postischemic cardiac infarct magnitude. Lean or Zucker Obese (ZO) rats (n = 4 animals in each group), fed daily by gavage, for six weeks with mucin–water (vehicle), or BM extract of 400 mg/kg body weight, are sacrificed and thoracotomized, followed by mounting on isolated working heart apparatus. Hearts were subjected to 30 min of ischemia and 2 h of reperfusion, followed by perfusion with 35 mL of 1% TTC solution via aortic cannula and stored for 24 h at −20 °C to allow cardiac tissue solidification. Next, 2–3 mm-thick sections of stained hearts were scanned, weighed planimetrically analyzed and infarct size were calculated. Outcomes were expressed as the ratio of the total infarcted tissue volume to volume of at-risk tissue ±SEM. Significance level of difference (p) between average outcome values shown in histograms, is p < 0.05, or less, indicated as follows: * p < 0.05 versus Lean IR values; (B) Effect of BM extract on postischemic expression of caspase-3 in isolated, ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-injured rat hearts. Lean or Zucker Obese (ZO) rats (n = 4 animals in each group), fed daily by gavage, for six weeks with mucin–water vehicle, or BM extract of 400 mg/kg body weight, are sacrificed and thoracotomized, followed by mounting on isolated working hearts in a Langendorff apparatus. Hearts were subjected to 30 min of ischemia and 2 h of reperfusion, followed by formalin fixation and paraffinization. Then, 4.5 micron thick sections were subjected to immunohistochemical analyses for caspase-3. Images shown include: Lean rats treated with vehicle (Ba); Lean rats administered BM extract (Bb); ZO rats receiving vehicle (Bc); and ZO rats receiving BM extract (Bd); (C) Effect of Bitter melon (BM) extract on Glut-4 expression: Protein samples from hearts originated from Lean and ZO animals in the presence or absence of BM treatment were separated and probed with Glut-4 antibody. As it is depicted, the level of Glut-4 is lower in samples from ZO animals regardless of treatment. However, the BM treatment failed to alter the cardiac Glut-4 level.