Background and purpose: Hypoxia occurs especially in heart diseases and could lead to death. Compounds with antioxidant activity could display antihypoxic property. Sambucus ebulus (SE) and Myrtus communis (Myrtle) are well known plants with distinctive antioxidant activities. To the best of our knowledge there are no reports on their antihypoxic activities.
Materials and methods: Protective effects of SE fruit and leaf and Myrtle leaf methanol extracts were evaluated against hypoxia-induced lethality in mice by three experimental models of hypoxia, asphyctic, haemic and circulatory. Data was analyzed applying analysis of variance and Newman-Keuls test.
Results: Antihypoxic activity was pronounced in asphyctic model for Myrtle extract. The extract at 125 mg/kg prolonged survival time (P<0.001). In circulatory model, the SE leaf extract showed a marked protective activity. This extract at 62.5 mg/kg prolonged survival time (P<0.001). Myrtle extract at 62.5 mg/kg also prolonged survival time (P<0.01). In haemic model, SE extracts significantly prolonged survival time. At 125 mg/kg, the leaf extract was capable of keeping the mice alive for a longer time (P<0.001). Also, it prolonged survival time at 62.5 mg/kg (P<0.01).
Conclusion: The extracts showed suitable protective effects against hypoxia in some models. Myrtle and SE fruit extracts were the most effective extracts. Compared to the control group, they significantly prolonged survival time in a dose dependent manner.
 

Keywords: asphyctic hypoxia, haemic hypoxia, circulatory hypoxia, Myrtle, Myrtus, Sambucus ebulus

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