Due to bleomycin's cytotoxic characteristics, which include cardiotoxicity, this investigation looked at the effectiveness of costus ethanolic extract in reducing cardiotoxicity in male rats receiving bleomycin therapy. Forty adult male rats (160-200 g) were evenly allocated into four groups: group (1) included normal rats serving as the control
group (2) included normal rats administered 200 mg/kg of costus ethanolic extract (CEE) orally for 6 weeks
group (3) consisted of rats receiving bleomycin (15 mg/kg twice weekly, ip) for 6 weeks
and group (4) involved rats treated orally with CEE (200 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks following bleomycin intoxication. The results indicated that the CEE significantly reversed the cardiological deteriorations brought on by bleomycin
this was demonstrated by a considerable increase in cardiac SOD, GPx, GSH, and CAT, along with a substantial decrease in cardiac MDA, NO, and DNA fragmentation. Also, serum, LDH, CK-MB, CK- total, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-6 IL-10, IL-1β, triglycerides, cholesterol, and LDL were significantly reduced, while CD4 levels increased, and HDL declined significantly. The results of the histological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed a notable regeneration. In conclusion, CEE's anti-cardiotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties prove its ability to be a cardio-protective supplement. This may be mediated by its active constituents' radical scavenging and antioxidant properties, particularly high phenolic content.