Effects of aqueous extract of garlic (Allium sativum) on the left ventricle myocardium of high salt-fed adult Wistar rats

Abstract

Objectives:The aim of this study was to evaluate the beneficial effect of aqueous extract of garlic (Allium sativum) on the morphology of myocardium of left ventricle in high salt-fed diet Wistar rats. Methods: Twenty-five female Wistar rats weighing 130-180 g were divided into five groups (n=5, each). Group A were fedwith standard laboratory pellets, while Groups B, C, D and E were fed a high-salt diet for five weeks. Following this, dailyadministration of aqueous garlic extract was done orally to Groups C, D and E, respectively for 3 weeks. The left ventricle ofthe heart was excised, processed in paraffin wax and stained with haematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome andVerhoeff-Van Gieson stains. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze data, followed by Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) test formultiple comparisons. Results: We found that the relative change in heart weight in the high salt-fed group was lower, though not statisticallysignificant (p=0.175) than the control group. There was significant increase (p