title: Morphological and histochemical evidence of the protective effect of procainamide hydrochloride on tissue damage induced by repeated administration of low doses of cisplatin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The class 1 antiarrhythmic drug procainamide hydrochloride might protect against acute cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity in mice and rats. In this report, the protective activity of procainamide hydrochloride against renal and hepatic tissue damage induced by repeated administration of low doses of cisplatin was analyzed morphologically and histochemically.
  
  
  METHODS
  Light microscopy observations were performed on liver, renal and heart samples obtained from female Wistar rats treated twice a week for 10 weeks with 1 mg/kg cisplatin (cumulative dose: 20 mg/kg), with or without 100 mg/kg procainamide hydrochloride (cumulative dose: 2 g). Samples were then submitted to histochemical stainings [i.e. H & E, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and Sudan Black].
  
  
  RESULTS
  Light microscopy analysis revealed that the coadministration of cisplatin and procainamide hydrochloride significantly reduced tissue alterations both in the kidneys and liver, while in the heart, neither cisplatin nor the combination of cisplatin and procainamide hydrochloride caused any evident tissue damage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The morphological and histochemical data confirm that procainamide hydrochloride is able to protect not only from acute cisplatin-induced toxicities, but also from tissue alterations induced in the liver and kidneys by the administration of repeated low doses of cisplatin.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Università di Pavia, P.za Botta 10, 27100 Pavia.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fenoglio
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boncompagni
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chiavarina
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cafaggi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cilli
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000633:toxicity*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011342:Procainamide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011342:Procainamide; D002945:Cisplatin