Despite the traditional use of ferula assa-foetida in herbal medicine, little is known regarding its potential cardiovascular effects. In this research, the effects of water-ethanolic extract of leaf, stem and root of ferula assafoetida on rat isolated hearts (n=7) were studied. Using Langendorff\\\'s technique, the isolated hearts were stabilized for 30min, and then, the extracts of different parts of the plant were added to the modified Krebs (0.1%) nourishing the heart for 5min durations, with 15min intervals, in a random order. The heart rate, intra-ventricular pressure and coronary perfusion pressure were measured using PowerLab electrophysiology instruments. The leaves of ferula assa-foetida caused a significant increase (p<0.01) in the heart rate, while the root and the stem did not show significant effects in this regard. The increase in the coronary perfusion pressure caused by different parts of the plant was not significant. Intra-ventricular pressure was significantly increased by the stem and the root, but not by the leaf, in this study. The current research suggests that the extract of ferula assa-foetida leaves exert positive chronotropic effect, while those of the stem and the root cause positive inotropic effects on rat isolated hearts.

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