Can vitamin C affect the KBrO3 induced oxidative stress on left ventricular myocardium of adult male albino rats? A histological and immunohistochemical study

Abstract

Potassium bromate (KBrO3) cardiotoxicity is not widely recognized, in spite of its well known oxidative cell and tissue damage. The wide exposure to KBrO3 in food and water necessitates finding of a simple and available antidote for its hazards like vitamin C. There are growing evidences that the regulation of redox reactions in cells is intimately tied to the levels of antioxidants. As the heart is highly vulnerable for oxidative damage, left ventricle muscle was the spotlight of our study. For this purpose 20 adult male albino rats were categorized into four groups (five rats each). Group 1 served as control; group 2 received 30 mg/kg/day vitamin C for 4 weeks. Group 3 was injected intraperitoneally with KBrO3 20 mg/kg/dose twice weekly for 4 weeks, and group 4 received both vitamin C and KBrO3 in the same scheme. Heart specimens were processed for various histological examinations. Sections from KBrO3 treated animals showed focal disruption of cardiac myocytes, deeply stained nuclei and dilated congested blood vessels. Ultrastructurally, irregular indented nuclei, focal lysis of the myofibrils and swelling of mitochondria were also observed. In contrast, minimal changes were observed in rats treated concomitantly with both vitamin C and KBrO3. Caspase 3 immunohistochemical reaction was nonsignificantly increased in group 3 cardiomyocytes. Semiquantitative morphological mitochondrial scoring and statistical analyses revealed significant changes between the studied groups. Finally, KBrO3 induced structural changes in rat cardiac muscle could be ameliorated by concomitant treatment with vitamin C.

Molecular mechanisms regarding potassium bromate‑induced cardiac hypertrophy without apoptosis in H9c2 cells

“…Additionally, it was demonstrated that free radicals and/or oxidative stress were mediated by the effect of KBrO3, which is fully consistent with previous reports that KBrO3 induces damage via oxidative stress (10)(11)(12). Cardiac injury induced by KBrO3 has also been observed in rats (15,16), and histological evidence demonstrates that KBrO3 induces cardiac apoptosis and/or necrosis in rodents (33). However, cardiac hypertrophy induced by KBrO3 has not been previously examined.…”

“…Generally, KBrO3 at a dose of 20-30 mg/kg damages cardiac tissues in rats (16). The histological evidence also demonstrates that KBrO3 at 20 mg/kg twice weekly for 4 weeks induces cardiac fibrosis in rats (33). In a clinic, nine cases of accidental KBrO3 poisoning in a bakery demonstrated hematemesis and renal failure as the possible adverse outcomes (48).…”

Role of alpha lipoic acid on cyclophosphamide induced cardiotoxicity in adult male albino rat: histological study

“…Fibroblasts represents one of the main myocardial cell populations which increased in number due to cardiac diseases and toxicity. The increased fibroblast number can be due to different mechanisms such as endothelial and epithelial cells transformation into myofibroblast and fibroblasts; increased myocardial fibroblasts replications and circulating bone marrow cells migration and transformation into fibroblast [37,38] .…”

Potassium bromate in bread, health risks to bread consumers and toxicity symptoms amongst bakers in Bamenda, North West Region of Cameroon

“…Toxicity studies with experimental rats have shown that potassium bromate exerts; cardiac toxicity [ 18 ]; toxicity of the bone and blood [ 19 ]; liver/hepatic tissue and renal toxicity [ 20 ] etc. Several studies have also demonstrated its carcinogenicity [ 15 , 16 ].…”