Carqueja (Baccharis trimera) Essential Oil Chronic Treatment Induces Ventricular Repolarization Disorder in Healthy Rats but Not in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. The pharmacological treatment of T2DM can increase cardiovascular risk in diabetic patients. Carqueja (Baccharis trimera) is an antioxidant and hypoglycemic medicinal plant with promising action for T2DM non-pharmacological treatment. Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate carqueja essential oil safety on the cardiovascular system of diabetic and non-diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Four experimental groups were used to analyze the carqueja essential oil effects: control group (n = 5), carqueja‑treated control group (n = 4), diabetic control group (n = 4), and carqueja‑treated diabetic group (n = 5). T2DM was induced by hypercaloric diet followed by streptozotocin administration. Electrocardiogram parameters were used to analyze the alterations in the cardiovascular system. Results: Diabetic rats showed ventricular repolarization dysfunction with prolongation of QT and corrected QT intervals. The treatment increased ventricular repolarization duration in the control group. Conclusion: Carqueja essential oil treatment worsens ventricular repolarization in nondiabetic rats, increasing the arrhythmogenic risk.