Cola nitida infusion modulates cardiometabolic activities linked to cardiomyopathy in diabetic rats

This study investigated the therapeutic mechanism of Cola nitida seeds on diabetic cardiomyopathy in hearts of diabetic rats. Type 2 diabetic (T2D) rats were treated with C. nitida infusion at 150 or 300 mg/kg body weight (bw). The rats were sacrificed after 6 weeks of treatment, and their hearts harvested. There was an upsurge in oxidative stress on induction of T2D as depicted by the depleted levels of glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, and elevated malondialdehyde level. The activities of acetylcholinesterase, and ATPase were significantly elevated, with suppressed ENTPDase and 5'nucleotodase activities in hearts of T2D rats depicting cholinergic and purinergic dysfunctions. Induction of T2D further led to elevated activity of ACE and altered myocardial morphology. Treatment with C. nitida infusion led to reversal of these biomarkers' activities and levels, while maintaining an intact morphology. The infusion caused decreased lipase activity and depletion of diabetes-generated cardiac lipid metabolites, while concomitantly generating saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, fatty esters and alcohols. There was also an inactivation of plasmalogen synthesis and mitochondrial beta-oxidation of long chain saturated fatty acids pathways in T2D rats treated with C. nitida infusion. These results indicate the therapeutic effect of C. nitida infusion against diabetic cardiomyopathy.