title: Effects of rosiglitazone (PPAR γ agonist) on the myocardium in non-hypertensive diabetic rats (PPAR γ).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is ongoing controversy regarding the safety of rosiglitazone and its effects on the myocardium, in some cases causing severe cardiac pathology and even in some instances mortality. In this study we aimed at examining the effects of pharmacologic doses of rosiglitazone on cardiomyocytes in diabetic non-cardiac rats receiving sub-optimal doses of insulin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Animals were distributed into six groups: normal, diabetic, and diabetic receiving insulin, each subdivided into a control group and an experimental group receiving pharmacologic doses of rosiglitazone. Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was assessed using heart to body weight index and microscopic examination using the number of cardiomyocytes per quadrant of high power field and intercalated disks in a sector of 100 × field. Fibrosis was assessed using Masson Trichrome staining. A number of sections of each group were stained with periodic acid Shiff and others with Sudan III for glycogen and fat accumulation, respectively. One way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis as appropriate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diffuse cardiomyopathic changes in diabetic control animals were observed consisting of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, loss of striations and widespread vacuolation. These changes were reduced and even prevented by treatment with insulin and rosiglitazone. Masson staining showed that all rat groups had no more than +1 fibrosis that is equal to what was present in the normal controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rosiglitazone, in combination with even sub-optimal doses of insulin therapy, has protective effects on cardiac muscle in diabetic animals especially those expressed as muscle hypertrophy, muscle cell death, and fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Khodor
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abou Daya
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abu Daya
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nasser Eddine
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nahhas
authors.forename: Nuha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nuwayri-Salti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000819:agonists*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D000077154:Rosiglitazone; D045162:Thiazolidinediones / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D047495:PPAR gamma; D045162:Thiazolidinediones; D000077154:Rosiglitazone
keywords: cardiac hypertrophy; cardiovascular disease; diabetic rats; rosiglitazone; type 2 diabetes; 关键词：心血管疾病，心脏肥厚，糖尿病大鼠，罗格列酮，2型糖尿病