Evaluating the Effects of Acute and Chronic Doxorubicin Administration on Cardiac Function Through Electrocardiographic Measurements

Öz

Background: The medications used to treat cancer can lead to cardiac problems, which restricts their use. Furthermore, the method these medications are taken seems to have an impact on varied out-comes. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether administering doxorubicin (DOX) agent acutely and chronically has distinct impacts on the electrical activity of the heart. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six male Wistar-Albino rats, weighing between 200-250 grams, were split into three groups: control group; no treatment was applied to animals (n=8), DOX acute group: a single dosage of 15.05 mg/kg of DOX was given at the end of the 3 weeks (n=8), DOX chronic group; which received an intraperitoneal (i.p.) 2.15 mg/kg DOX for 3 weeks, 7 doses in total (n=10). At the end of the experimental period, electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements were taken for all animals and evaluated. Results: ECG data showed that heart rate (HR), P wave amplitude, and P duration did not differ between the acute and control groups but did statistically significantly declined in the chronic group. In both DOX groups, PR interval remained unchanged compared to the control. Also, RR interval increased significantly in the chronic group while it remained unchanged in the acute DOX dose group. The QRS duration was found to have considerably increased in both DOX groups. Furthermore, it was found that both DOX groups had a considerable increase in the QT interval, although the chronic group's increase was more noticeable. Conclusions: In conclusion, it is thought that the ways in which these medications are administered may result in significant variations in heart function. Acute DOX treatment appears to be less harmful than chronic exposure, as evidenced by its lack of adverse effects, particularly on P wave amplitude (a measure of atrial contraction) and P wave duration (the length of the contraction). However, more research is required to validate these findings. Key Words: Electrocardiogram (ECG), Doxorubicin (DOX), Cardiotoxicity

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Doxorubicin (DOX)
• Cardiotoxicity

Akut ve Kronik Doksorubisin Uygulamalarının Elektrokardiyografik Ölçümler Aracılığıyla Kardiyak Fonksiyon Üzerine Etkilerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Amaç: Kanser tedavisinde kullanılan ilaçlar kalp sorunlarına neden olmakta ve bu da kullanımlarını kısıtlamaktadır. Ayrıca, bu ilaçların uygulanma yönteminin farklı sonuçlara neden olduğu görülmektedir. Bu nedenle bu çalışmada, doksorubisin (DOX) ajanının akut ve kronik olarak uygulanmasının kalbin elektriksel aktivitesi üzerinde farklı etkilerinin olup olmadığının incelenmesi amaçlandı. Materyal ve Metod: Ağırlıkları 200-250 gram arasında değişen 26 adet erkek Wistar-Albino sıçan üç gruba ayrıldı: Kontrol grubu: hayvanlara herhangi bir tedavi uygulanmadı (n=8), DOX akut grubu; 3 haftanın sonunda 15,05 mg/kg DOX i.p. olarak verildi (n=10), DOX kronik grubu; 3 haftada yedi kez her defasında 2,15 mg/kg DOX intraperitoneal (i.p.) uygulandı (n=10). Deney süresi sonunda tüm hayvanlardan elektrokardiyogram (EKG) ölçümleri alınarak değerlendirildi. Bulgular: EKG verilerine göre kalp atım hızı, P dalga genliği ve P süresinin akut ve kontrol grupları arasında farklılık göstermediğini ancak kronik grupta istatistiksel olarak anlamlı azaldığı görüldü. Her iki DOX grubunda da PR intervali kontrole göre değişmedi. Ayrıca kronik grupta RR intervali anlamlı derecede artarken akut DOX grubunda değişmedi. Her iki DOX grubunda da QRS süresinin oldukça arttığı görüldü. Ayrıca her iki DOX grubunda da QT aralığında ciddi bir artış olduğu ancak kronik grupta artışın daha belirgin olduğu görüldü. Sonuç: Sonuç olarak bu ilaçların uygulanma şeklinin kalp fonksiyonlarında anlamlı değişikliklere yol açabileceği düşünülmektedir. Akut DOX tedavisi, özellikle P dalgası genliği (atriyal kasılmanın bir ölçüsü) ve P dalga süresi (kasılmanın uzunluğu) üzerinde olumsuz etkilerinin olmayışı ile, kronik maruziyetten daha az zararlı olabileceği düşünülmektedir. Ancak bu bulguları doğrulamak için daha ileri çalışmalara ihtiyaç vardır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Doxorubicin (DOX)
• Cardiotoxicity

Teşekkür

Çalışma için etik kurul belgesi alınmıştır.

Kaynakça

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