Kolaviron , a biflavonoid of Garcinia kola seed mitigates ischemic / reperfusion injury by modulation of pro-survival and apoptotic signaling pathways

Mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been reported as one of the sources of important mechanisms of disease and redox signaling in the cardiovascular system [1]. Ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and other pathologies associated with heart diseases continue to be leading causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. ROS are known to induce the oxidation of membrane lipids with concomitant production of malondialdehyde (MDA), a specific biomarker of lipoperoxidation [2]. Furthermore, the restoration of coronary flow (CF) (reperfusion) after a prolonged period of ischemia therefore precipitates and aggravates oxidative stress, which is a major cause of myocardial injury. In the myocardium, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase and xanthine oxidase have been described as the two major enzymatic sources of ROS [3,4].