Effect of Preoperative Plant-based Versus Animal-based Diets on Myocardial Protection in a Rat Model of Cardiac Surgery

Objectives: Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury remains a major source of morbidity in cardiac surgery, and novel strategies for cardioprotection are needed.Preoperative dietary modulation has been proposed as a feasible approach to enhance myocardial resilience.This study investigated the effects of preoperative plant-based versus animal-based diets (ABD) on myocardial protection in a rat model of cardioplegic arrest, with emphasis on apoptosis, oxidative stress, and stress response markers. Materials and Methods:Sixteen male Wistar albino rats were initially randomized to receive either a plant-based diet (PBD) (soy protein, palm oil) or an ABD (casein, milk fat) for 12 weeks.Due to peri-experimental losses, final analyses were performed on 6 rats in the PBD group and on 7 rats in the ABD group.At the end of the feeding period, rats underwent a standardized cardioplegic arrest induced by St. Thomas II crystalloid solution, resulting in 10 minutes of ischemia; blood cardioplegia was then administered prior to tissue harvesting.Left ventricular tissues were harvested for biochemical analysis.Bcl-2 and Bax, glutathione (GSH), protein carbonyls and malondialdehyde (MDA), and heat