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Abstract Doxorubicin is one of the common anthracycline antibiotics to be used clinically in certain solid tumors and leukemia. However, cardiotoxicity is its major dose-limiting factor. It reduces the quality of life and can even cause premature death. Doxorubicin is used to produce an animal model of HF as it is characterized by an extraordinary technical simplicity and excellent reproducibility. Natural products have long gained wide acceptance among the public and scientific community. It has been reported that Curcuma longa L. extract is useful in the protection against myocardial injury and preservation of cardiac function. Nebivolol, a cardioselective β-adrenoreceptor antagonist, produces NO-mediated vasodilatation. It has also beneficial pleiotropic effects that allow it to be clearly distinguished from other βBs. Despite extensive research, the mechanism of Dox-induced cardiac toxicity is still not completely elucidated. Further experimental studies and clinical trials are warranted to investigate and compare the individual mechanisms of beneficial effects. So, the current study was conducted to evaluate the possible protective effects of both curcumin and nebivolol alone or combined -in two doses- on body weight changes, mortality percentage, ECG parameters, the isolated Langendorff heart, serum cardiac enzymes, oxidative stress markers, cardiac NO concentration and finally the histopathological changes of Dox-induced rat cardiac toxicity. In this study, a total of 60 adult male albino rats, weighting 180-200 g were used and subdivided randomly into 9 groups of 6 animals each except Dox treated group (n = 12). Three control groups of rats were used including saline, curcumin and nebivolol control groups. Cardiac toxicity was induced in the other 6 groups by receiving IP Dox every other day over 23 days; five groups of them were treated with curcumin at two doses (100 mg/kg & 200 mg/kg), nebivolol at two doses (1 mg/kg & 2 mg/kg) and a combination of curcumin 200 mg/kg and nebivelol 2 mg/kg. Treatments were given daily by oral gavage for 23 days in nebivolol treated groups and 30 days in curcumin treated groups. |