title: Cocaine causes atrial Purkinje fiber damage.
abstract: Comparisons of atrial tissues from Syrian hamster offspring born from cocaine-treated mothers during the last days of pregnancy with sham-treated ones demonstrate irreversible focal ischemic damage in the Purkinje myofibers and minor endocardial damages as well as minute cardiomyocyte vacuolization. These defects are consistent with the pharmacotoxicity of cocaine or its metabolites. The damaged Purkinje myocytes apparently remain in contact with adjacent cardiomyocytes but undergo autolytic process similar to that found in autoschizic cell death. Adjacent cell type(s) appear to segregate or engulf the injured cells. Data collected in this report demonstrate why clinical bradyarrhythmias, arrhythmias, or sudden death as cardiac arrest can be found in pre- and postnatal cocaine-abused babies as well as those found in young individuals caused by acute or chronic cocaine abuse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, St Georges' University School of Medicine, K B Taylor Global Scholar's Programme, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. jgilloteaux@sgu.edu
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gilloteaux
authors.forename: Nelson N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Ekwedike
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000633:toxicity*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008647:Mesocricetus; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011247:Pregnancy; D011690:Purkinje Fibers / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D003042:Cocaine