Palliative potential of velutin against abamectin induced cardiac toxicity via regulating JAK1/STAT3, NF-κB, Nrf-2/Keap-1 signaling pathways: An insight from molecular docking

Abamectin (ABN) is an agricultural insecticide that is reported to damage various body organs including the heart. Velutin (VLN) is a plant-derived flavonoid that exhibits a wide range of medicinal properties. This study was planned to investigate the medicinal value of VLN against ABN induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Thirty-two male albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into four equal groups including the control, ABN (10 mg/kg), ABN (10 mg/kg) + VLN (20 mg/kg), and VLN (20 mg/kg) alone administrated group. The doses were administrated for 6 weeks orally. The results demonstrated that ABN intoxication promoted the gene expression of Nrf-2 and its associated antioxidant genes including glutathione reductase (GSR), heme‑oxygenase-1 (HO-1), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) while reducing the gene expression of Keap-1 as well as levels of ROS and MDA. Moreover, ABN exposure enhanced the gene expression of Janus kinase-1 (JAK1), Signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3), NF-κB, TNF-α, C-reactive proteins, Interferon-gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10), IL-1β, Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), IL-6 and COX-2. The concentrations of CK-MB, Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), CPK, troponin-I, N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and LDH were elevated after ABN administration. ABN intoxication abruptly upregulated the levels of Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and Bax while reducing the levels of Bcl-2 in cardiac tissues. Additionally, ABN exposure prompted various histopathological damages. Nevertheless, VLN treatment remarkably protected the cardiac tissues via regulating aforementioned disruptions. Lastly, molecular docking analysis was performed to determine the potential affinity of VLN and targeted protein i.e., Bax, NF-kB, Nrf-2/Keap1, JAK1 and STAT3. Our in-silico evaluation showed a strong binding affinitybetween VLN and the targeted proteins which further confirms its effectiveness as a cardioprotective agent.