Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is one of the leading causes of death in Western countries. Prevention rather than treatment of
heart disease can significantly improve patients' quality of life and reduce health care costs.
Flavonoids are widely distributed in vegetables, fruits and
herbal medicines. Regularly consuming botanicals, especially those containing
flavonoids, has been associated with a reduction in cardiovascualar disease; thus, it is important to investigate how
flavonoids improve cardiac resistance to
heart disease and their related mechanisms of action. It has been shown that cardiomyocyte injury and death can result from
ischemia-reperfusion, which is pathognomonic of
ischemic heart disease. Massive
reactive oxygen species (ROS) release at the onset of reperfusion produces cell injury and death. "Programming" the heart to either generate less ROS or to increase strategic ROS removal could reduce reperfusion response. Additionally, profuse
nitric oxide (NO) release at reperfusion could be protective in "preconditioning" models. Botanical
flavonoids induce preconditioning of the heart, thereby protecting against
ischemia-reperfusion injury. In this article, we will discuss two herbs containing potent
flavonoids, Scutellaria baicalensis and grape seed
proanthocyanidin, which can potentially offer cardiac protection against
ischemic heart disease.