Protective effect of melatonin on adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats.
OBJECTIVE
Adriamycin is one of the most widely used anticancer drugs. The major limiting factor of using this drug is the development of cardiotoxicity. However, melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a ubiquitous molecule as a good antioxidant that may protect the heart. We investigated whether or not pretreatment with melatonin can attenuate adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity.


METHODS
All procedures and experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Gazi Osman Paşa University (2012-HADYEK-022). Adult male Wistar-Albino rats were randomly divided into four groups, namely control (CON, n=7), melatonin (MEL, n=7), adriamycin (ADR, n=7), and adriamycin+melatonin (ADR+MEL, n=7) groups. Cardiotoxicity in rats was induced by adriamycin injection (cumulative dose: 18 mg/kg, intraperitoneal [i.p.]) at an interval of 24 hours (h) on the 5th, 6th and 7th days. Rats receiving melatonin treatment in the adriamycin group received melatonin (10 mg/kg/day, i.p.) for 7 days and were injected with adriamycin (18 mg/kg, i.p.) on 5th, 6th and 7th days. On the 8th day, gravimetric, electrocardiography (ECG) and biochemical parameters were assessed.


RESULTS
Adriamycin induction caused changes in the ECG pattern, including ST-segment elevation and decreased R-amplitude, increase in the serum levels of cardiac injury markers (creatine kinase [CK], CK-MB, aspartate transaminase, and lactate dehydrogenase), decrease in the antioxidant enzymes activity (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase), elevated lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde), and altered lipid profile in the serum. Melatonin treatment prevented all the parameters of adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats.


CONCLUSIONS
Melatonin has a protective effect on the heart against adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats.
Department of Biophysics, Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. draycabilginoglu@hotmail.com.
Ayça
A
Bilginoğlu
Department of Physiology, Turgut Özal University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Duygu
D
Aydın
Department of Physiology, Gaziosmanpaşa University Faculty of Medicine, Tokat, Turkey.
Seyma
S
Ozsoy
Department of Physiology, Gaziosmanpaşa University Faculty of Medicine, Tokat, Turkey.
Hatice
H
Aygün
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D066126:Cardiotoxicity / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000633:toxicity*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D000975:Antioxidants; D004317:Doxorubicin; D008550:Melatonin