Role of epigallocatechin gallate in protecting myocardium of rats with viral myocarditis

  Objective  To investigate the role of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in protecting myocardium of rats with viral myocarditis.

  Methods  A total of 45 male BALA/C rats were randomly divided into normal group, control group and EGCG group, with 15 rats in each group. Rats in the control group and EGCG group were intraperitoneally injected with 0.1 mL CVB3 viral fluid. After successful inoculation, the EGCG group was treated with 100 mg/kg EGCG per day, while the control group was treated with the same amount of saline. Normal rats were injected with the same amount of saline. After feeding for one week, the eyeball blood was removed to detect the activity of creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT). Then the heart was taken out and the morphological changes of cardiac myocytes were observed by HE staining.

  Results  The survival rate of rats in the EGCG group was obviously higher than that in the control group, and the serum CK-MB, cTnT activity and myocardial pathological score in the control group were obviously higher than those in the EGCG group.

  Conclusion  EGCG has a certain protective effect on viral myocarditis.