Background: The study was designed to explore any beneficial effect of Ocimum sanctum (Linn) (OS) in experimental pulmonary hypertension (PH) in rats. OS is commonly known as “holy basil” and “Tulsi” and is used in the Indian System of Medicine as antidiabetic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, adaptogenic, and cardioprotective. Methods: Monocrotaline (MCT) administration caused development of PH in rats after 28 days and rats were observed for 42 days. Treatments (sildenafil; 175 µg/kg, OS; 200 mg/kg) were started from day 29 after the development of PH and continued for 14 days. Parameters to assess the disease development and effectiveness of interventions were echocardiography, right and left ventricular systolic pressures, and right ventricular end diastolic pressure, percentage medial wall thickness (%MWT) of pulmonary artery, oxidative stress markers in lung tissue, NADPH oxidase (Nox-1) protein expression in lung, and mRNA expression of Bcl2 and Bax in right ventricular tissue. Results: OS (200 mg/kg) treatment ameliorated increased lung weight to body weight ratio, right ventricular hypertrophy, increased RVSP, and RVoTD/AoD ratio. Moreover, OS treatment decreases Nox-1 expression and increases expression of Bcl2/Bax ratio caused by MCT. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that OS has therapeutic ability against MCT-induced PH in rat which are attributed to its antioxidant effect. The effect of OS was comparable with sildenafil.

Objectives. Transition from cardiac hypertrophy to failure involves adverse metabolic reprogramming involving mitochondrial dysfunction. We have earlier shown that vitamin D deficiency induces heart failure, at least in part, through insulin resistance. However, whether activation of vitamin D receptor (VDR) can attenuate heart failure and underlying metabolic phenotype requires investigation. Thus, we aimed to assess the cardioprotective potential of paricalcitol, a vitamin D receptor‐activator, against cardiac hypertrophy and failure in high‐fat high‐fructose‐fed rats. Methods. Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed control (Con) or high‐fat high‐fructose (HFHFrD) diet for 20 weeks. After 12 weeks, rats from HFHFrD group were divided into the following: HFHFrD, HFHFrD+P (paricalcitol i.p. 0.08 μg/kg/day) and HFHFrD+E (enalapril maleate i.p. 10 mg/kg/day). Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, blood pressure measurement, and 2D echocardiography were performed. Cardiac fibrosis was assessed by Masson’s trichrome staining of paraffin‐embedded heart sections. Mitochondrial DNA and proteins, and citrate synthase activity were measured in rat hearts. VDR was silenced in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts, and immunoblotting was performed. Results. Paricalcitol improved glucose tolerance, serum lipid profile, and blood pressure in high‐fat high‐fructose‐fed rats. Paricalcitol reduced cardiac wall thickness and increased ejection fraction in high‐fat high‐fructose‐fed rats but had no effect on perivascular fibrosis. PGC1‐α was upregulated in the HFHFrD+P group compared to the HFHFrD group, but there was no significant difference in mitochondrial content. Citrate synthase activity was significantly higher in the HFHFrD+P group compared to the HFHFrD group. Rat hearts of the HFHFrD+P group had significantly higher expression of mitofusins. H9c2 cells with VDR knockdown showed significantly lower expression of Mfn2. Improvement in the HFHFrD+P group was comparable with that in the HFHFrD+E group. Conclusions. Paricalcitol reverses cardiac dysfunction in rats with metabolic syndrome by enhancing mitochondrial fusion. We demonstrate repurposing potential of the drug currently used in end‐stage kidney disease.

Hypertension (HTN) is a serious health problem worldwide and worse than other cardiovascular diseases. HTN is a chief risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease, and renal vascular disease. Herbal medicines are used by about 75% to 80% of the world population, in primary health care because of their enhanced tolerability and minor side effects. The consumption of fruits is advised for good health as a result of their high fiber, antioxidant, mineral, vitamin, and phytochemical contents. Of the many fruiting trees, indigenous to India such as mango (Mangifera indica), black plum (Eugenia jambolana), pomegranate (Punica granatum), and amla (Emblica officinalis) are useful in preventing HTN and in the treatment of HTN in validated preclinical and clinical studies. In this review, efforts are made to collate the fruits' antihypertensive effects and their important phytochemicals. Efforts are also made to address the underlying mechanism/s responsible for the beneficial effects of these fruits in HTN prevention and treatment.

Introduction: Chrysin (CH), a naturally occurring flavonoid found in various traditional medicinal plants and bee products, has been reported to possess antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. These properties may offer therapeutic potential in epilepsy, a chronic neurological disorder frequently accompanied by cognitive impairment and oxidative stress. The aim of the study is to evaluate the anticonvulsant, antioxidative, and cognitive-protective effects of chrysin in experimental models of epilepsy. Methods: The effects of CH were assessed using three established rodent models: Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures, Maximal Electroshock (MES)-induced seizures, and PTZ-induced kindling. Seizure severity, protection percentage, and progression of kindling were recorded. Cognitive performance was evaluated across all models, and biochemical assays were conducted to measure oxidative stress markers and Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Results: CH (120 mg/kg) demonstrated robust anticonvulsant activity, offering 100% protection against generalized tonic–clonic seizures in the PTZ model and 83.3% protection in the MES model. In PTZ-induced kindling, CH significantly attenuated epileptogenesis (mean seizure score = 1.66). All three models exhibited marked cognitive deficits, which were significantly improved by CH treatment. CH also effectively restored oxidative stress parameters and reversed the seizure-induced reduction in AChE activity. Discussion: Chrysin exhibits potent anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects in multiple seizure models, mitigating seizure severity, oxidative stress, and associated cognitive deficits. Conclusion: These findings support the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects of chrysin and highlight CH as a promising phytochemical candidate for managing epilepsy and its neurocognitive complications.