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Background and purpose: Many studies have investigated the cardioprotective effects of olive leaf extract (OLE). None, however, has reported its antiarrhythmic role for in vivo model arrhythmia. This study aimed at investigating the antiarrhythmic effect of OLE andassessing the duration of its use inanesthetized rats. Materials and methods: Forty eight male Wistar rats were divided into six groups of eight. All groups-except group one (the control group)- received OLE (200 mg/kg/day, orally) for 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days, respectively. Then, their left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was occluded for 30 min under general anesthesia and artificial respiratory support. Direct blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) were continuously monitored before and during the ischemia. Results: The data showed that severity of arrhythmia including ventricular ectopic beats, incidence of ventricular tachycardia (VT), and ventricular fibrillation (VF) reduced significantly in groups that received OLE for at least 14 days. Also, the number and duration of VT and VF episodes decreased significantly in groups five and six, especially the group that received OLE for 28 days. Conclusion: These results show that oral administration of OLE could induce antiarrhythmic effect, if used for more than seven days. Further studies are required to determine the effects of different doses and durations and cellular mechanisms of OLE.

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Background and purpose: Diabetes mellitus is highly prevalent in the world and poor wound healing in diabetic patients is a serious public health issue nowadays. In this study, we evaluated the healing effects of olive leaf extract ointment on cutaneous wound in diabetic rats.
Materials and methods: Thirty six male rats were di­vided into three groups: a control group and two experimental groups to receive either olive leaf ointment or derma heal ointment. Diabetes was induced by a single streptozotocin injection (65mg/kg). Three days later, fasting blood glucose was measured by a glucometer. Rats with blood glucose levels above 250 mg/dl were considered as diabetic. Under anesthesia, a circular full-thickness incision (10 mm diameter) was made in shaved dorsal region. Animals in control group received only distilled water, while treatment groups were treated with ointments (once/daily) until the end of the experiment. To investigate the effects of olive leaf ointment on diabetic wounds, macroscopic and microscopic studies were performed at days 4, 7, 10, 14, and 21.
Results: Macroscopic and microscopic evaluations showed significantly higher rate of wound healing in experimental groups compared to the control group in all days after wound creation (P<0.05). But, wound contraction was significantly higher in the group receiving derma heal ointment compared with that in the group treated with olive leaf ointment (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two experimental groups in microscopic indices (P>0.05).
Conclusion: In this study, wound healing was significantly promoted when diabetic wounds were treated with olive leaf ointment.