Cardioprotective Activity of Propionic Acid in High-Fat Diet/ Streptozotocin-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Diabetic Rats Model

Background: The healthcare sector is increasingly focusing on the discovery of toxic-free natural medicines to treat diabetes-related complications. The current study investigated the cardioprotective efficacy of propionic acid (PA) in a type 2 diabetic rat model. Methods: Twenty-five Wistar rats (200–300 g) were used. The rats were fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks, and streptozotocin (30 mg/kg b.wt) was injected intraperitoneally to induce diabetes. The animals were divided into 5 groups (n = 5) and treated for 4 weeks. Group 1: normal control; Group 2: normal control + PA (60 mg/kg b.wt); Group 3: diabetic; Group 4: diabetic + PA (60 mg/kg b.wt); Group 5: diabetic + metformin (200 mg/kg b.wt). Serum and supernatant plasma retrieved from blood samples, along with heart tissue homogenate after centrifugation, were used to determine biochemical parameters. Results: Propionic acid administration significantly (p < 0.05) reduced serum insulin, fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance, cardiac creatine kinase-myoglobin, troponin-I, Lactate dehydrogenase, brain natriuretic peptide, caspase-3, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, oxidative malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, heart rate, blood pressure, QT and QTc intervals, QRS interval, PR interval, and food and water intake. It also significantly increased cardiac B-cell lymphoma-2, superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, P-wave, and body and heart weight in diabetic rats. Conclusion: Propionic acid lowered hyperglycemia and prevented cardiac injury by suppressing elevated cardiac injury markers, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Propionic acid may be useful as a natural medication for treating cardiac ailments in diabetes.