Author/Editor		Milutinović, A; Zorc-Pleskovič, R; Petrovič, D; Zorc, M; Šuput, D
Title		Microcystin-LR induces alternations in heart muscle
Type		članek
Source		Folia Biol (Praha)
Vol. and No.		Letnik 52
Publication year		2006
Volume		str. 116-8
Language		eng
Abstract		MC-LR belongs to a family of cyanobacterial toxins. MC-LR acts as serine-threonine phosphatase-1 and -2A inhibitor. Chronic intoxication with low doses of this toxin promotes liver tumour formation and induces kidney injury. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether chronic exposure to relatively low doses of MC-LR has toxic effects on hearts of treated animals. Male adult Wistar rats were treated every second day for 8 months with MC-LR (10 i. p., N = 5). Control groups were treated either with a vehicle (ethanol and methanol 4: 1 v/v; N = 5) or with physiologic saline (N = 4). We found that MC-LR could induce enlargement of cardiomyocytes (MC-LR = 20.984microm +- 1.351, vehicle = 17.454 microm +- 0.518, saline =15.996 microm +- 1.430), loss of cell cross-striations, lower myofibril volume fraction (MC-LR = 0.3657mm3/mm3 +- 0.0337, vehicle=0.4716mm3/mm3 +- 0.0086, saline = 0.4793 +- 0.0101), fibrosis (MC-LR = 0.0747mm3/mm3 +- 0.01288, vehicle = 0.0275 mm3/mm3 +- 0.0076, saline = 0.0309mm3/mm3 +- 0.0074) and mononuclear infiltration in the interstitial tissue. The TUNEL staining of the heart sections of rats in all groups showed no apoptotic cells. We may conclude that long-term exposure to relatively low doses of MCLR represents a considerable risk of injury of the heart.
Descriptors		HEART CYANOBACTERIA BACTERIAL TOXINS APOPTOSIS FRESH WATER RATS, WISTAR