Effect of N-Acetyl Cysteine on Doxorubicin Induced Cardiotoxicity in Adult Male Albino Rat: Histological Study

Introduction: Cardiotoxicity is one of the most important causes that limit the use of Doxorubicin (DOX) in treatment of the cancer. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an antioxidant substance that protects different cellular organelles from free radicals. The aim of the work: To shed the spot on the role of NAC on cardiotoxicity induced by DOX. Materials and methods: Forty adult male albino rats were divided into three groups. Group I: it was formed of 20 animals served as a control group. Further, it was divided into two subgroups; Subgroup Ia: formed of 10 animals received physiologic saline and Subgroup Ib: formed of 10 animals received NAC. Group II: formed of 10 animals that received DOX dissolved in normal saline. Group III: formed of 10 animals that received DOX similar togroup II and NAC similar to subgroup Ib. At the end of the second week, all animals were sacrificed; the heart specimens were dissected out and processed to light and electron microscopic examination. Morphometric and statistical analysis was also done. Results: Light microscopic examination of group II showed deeply stained cardiac muscle fibers and congested coronary vessels. Distorted cardiac muscle fibers and deeply stained nuclei were also observed. Moreover, cellular infiltration was also observed among cardiac muscle fibers. Apparent increase in greenish collagen fibers was seen between cardiac muscle fibers by Masson's trichrome. Electron microscopic examination of group II showed the cardiac muscle with thinning out of some myofibrils, vacuolations of the sarcoplasm and irregular wavy nuclear envelop. Telocytes appeared between cardiac muscle fibers. Group III showed improvement of the cardiac muscle by light and electron microscope with minimal vacuolation in the cardiac muscle. Morphometric and statistical analysis confirmed the histological results. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the administration of N acetyl cysteine could protect against cardiaotoxicity induced by doxorubicin.