Arq. Bras. Cardiol. 2019; 113(5): 933-934

D-Limonene: A Promising Molecule with Bradycardic and Antiarrhythmic Potential

Quiara Lovatti Alves , Darizy Flávia Silva

DOI: 10.5935/abc.20190233

This Short Editorial is referred by the Research article "Bradycardic and Antiarrhythmic Effects of the D-Limonene in Rats".

It is unquestionable that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is and will continue to be one of the main health problems of modern society. A significant portion of cardiovascular disease-related deaths is a direct or indirect consequence of cardiac arrhythmias.Cardiac arrhythmias are abnormal conditions that refer to any alteration in the normal sequence of cardiac electrical impulses, which can be classified according to frequency, mechanism, duration, and place of origin, resulting in inefficient pumping. More specifically, cardiac arrhythmias indicate alterations in the rate or regularity of the heart rhythm, as well as changes in the conduction sequence of physiological electrical impulses, from their origin in the sinoatrial node to their end, in the His-Purkinje system, and the ventricles.The structural mechanisms that result in cardiac arrhythmias, as well as limitations regarding the safety and efficacy of “classic” antiarrhythmic drugs, make this disease difficult to treat.

The use of medicinal plants for the treatment, cure and prevention of diseases is one of the oldest forms of human medicinal practice. Natural medicinal plant-based products have shown to be an abundant source of biologically active compounds, many of which have been the basis for the development of new chemical products by the pharmaceutical industry.Essential oils, extracted from aromatic plants, are natural products with a variety of biological actions, including cardiovascular properties.Monoterpenes are the most representative molecules, which constitute 90% of essential oils, and also produce relevant effects on measurable cardiovascular parameters, including vasorelaxation and hypotension promotion in anesthetized and non-anesthetized rats.^, Additionally, monoterpenes may attenuate the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats, by decreasing cardiac hypertrophy. Thus, it is evident that monoterpenes are molecules that could be further developed for the prevention and / or treatment of cardiovascular diseases. A study developed by our research group showed that the monoterpene carvacrol has negative chronotropic and inotropic effects on rats, whereas pulegone and geraniol have a negative inotropic effect on mammals.^,

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