Influence of different glucocorticosteroid treatment regimens on pathohistological changes in hearts of rats poisoned with T-2 toxin

Abstract

In this study the protective effect of methylprednisolone (soluble form Lemod-solu® and depot form, Lemod-depo®) (40 mg/kg im) on pathohistological changes in hearts of Wistar rats poisoned with T-2 toxin (0.23 mg/kg sc) was examined. Pathohistological, quantitative and morphometric analysis was based on the haematoxylin and eosin (HE) method. Animals were sacrificed after the end of day 1, 3, 5 and 7 of the study. In the hearts of poisoned animals T-2 toxin caused massive, diffuse degenerative and vascular changes associated with gross necrotic areas. The described changes could be found only sporadically in poisoned rats protected with tested methylprednisolone formulation. The best protective effect was produced by the soluble form of methylprednisolone and the least one with a combination of both tested formulations of the drug. The pathohistological alterations in the methylprednisolone protected animals varied from parenchymatous dystrophy to hyaloid degeneration, hyperaemia and haemorrhages with mononuclear cell infiltration. These histological deformations of the myocardial architecture were focal. Based on these results, it could be concluded that methylprednisolone formulations, both short and long-acting ones, exert a significant protection of rat hearts from T-2 toxin- induced pathohistological changes.