Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of carvacrol pretreatment on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and its
underlying mechanisms. Methods Wild-type male C57 BL/6 mice were randomized into 5 groups (n=13), namely the
sham-operated group, vehicle (DMSO in saline)+ I/R group, carvacrol (20 mg/kg) + I/R group, carvacrol (40 mg/kg) + I/R group,
and carvacrol (60 mg/kg) + I/R group. The mouse models of myocardial I/R injury were established by a 45-min occlusion of
the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) followed by reperfusion for 2 h. Carvacrol or vehicle was administered
intravenously 15 min before LAD occlusion. After reperfusion, the mice were examined for myocardial oxidative stress level
and apoptosis rate. Results Compared with the vehicle group, the 3 carvacrol-pretreated groups showed significantly reduced
myocardial infarct size, oxidative stress level and cardiac myocyte apoptosis rate (P<0.01). Conclusion Carvacrol can protect
against myocardial I/R injury by inhibiting myocardial oxidative stress and apoptosis in mice.