Arq. Bras. Cardiol. 2022; 119(2): 305-306
Where are We Going with Natural Products? Exploring the True Potential of New Plant-Based Drugs in the Cardiovascular Field
This Short Editorial is referred by the Research article "(-)-Carvone Modulates Intracellular Calcium Signaling with Antiarrhythmic Action in Rat Hearts".
Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide. In the Brazilian population, it is estimated that approximately 41.6% of women and 63.5% of men are at medium to high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases in the next 10 years. Cardiac arrhythmias are common manifestations of cardiovascular diseases and configure an important cause of morbidity and mortality among cardiac diseases. After Vaughan-Williams’ classification of antiarrhythmic drugs based on their pharmacological actions, several new therapies and drugs were proposed, aiming to achieve a high efficacy with the least adverse effects. However, treatments with antiarrhythmic drugs and other agents used to treat cardiovascular conditions such as heart failure are often prone to pro-arrhythmic adverse responses., In addition, cardiac complications, such as arrhythmias, are also observed in treating other pathologies, including cancer, and during the use of antidepressants.,
Plant-based medicines have long been used in traditional/alternative medicine for the most diverse purposes. Its uses correlate with several factors, including family tradition, age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and failure of conventional therapies. Among plant-based drugs, different types of terpenes have been explored as fragrances/repellents but also according to their medical potential in treating parasitic diseases, bacterial infection, wound healing, and as anti-inflammatory antioxidant agents. Moreover, the antiarrhythmic properties of some terpenes have been addressed using in vitro and experimental model approaches,, while other terpenes might actually have pro-arrhythmogenic activity.
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