All issues > Volume 41(6); 1998

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1998;41(6):760-768. Published online June 15, 1998.

The Role of Apoptosis in Adriamycin Induced Cardiotoxicity and Preventive Effect of L-carnitine in Rat

Young Mi YM Hong¹, Seung Sook SS Kim²

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Young Mi YM Hong ,Email: 1

Abstract

Purpose
: Adriamycin is very important in cancer chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the drug shows cumulative dose dependent cardiotoxicity. The precise mechanism of this remains unclear. It has been shown that adriamycin induces programmed cell death or apoptosis in many tissues. But the role of apoptosis in adriamycin induced cardiotoxicity is uncertain.
Methods
: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups of ten animals each. All four groups were given intraperitoneal injections for 4 weeks. The first group was given 0.9% normal saline. The second group was injected twice a week with adriamycin(5mg/kg), the third group with adriamycin(5mg/kg) and L-carnitine(200mg/kg). The fourth group was injected with only L-carnitine. Cell morphology was evaluated by light and electron-microscopy. Apoptosis was detected by labelling nicked ends of DNA fragments using Tunnel staining kit.
Results
: There was no difference of the left ventricular internal dimension and ventricular septal thickness among the four groups. Apoptosis was significantly increased in the adriamycin treated group compared to the control group(P < 0.05). Addition of L-carnitine to adriamycin induced apoptosis compared significantly to apoptosis in the adriamycin only group(P < 0.05).
Conclusion
: Apoptosis may play an important role in adriamycin induced cardiomyopathy. Lcarnitine reduces adriamycin induced apoptosis.

Keywords :Adriamycin, Cardiotoxicity, L-canitine