Effect of Tocopherol Pretreatment on the Incidence of Adriamycin-Induced Murine Cardiomyopathy

Adriamycin, an important new anticancer drug, has exhibited significant chemotherapeutic activity against a wide spectrum of human neoplasms. However, this anthracycline induces an irreversible, delayed cardiac toxicity in both man and in laboratory animals. The cardiotoxicity is believed to follow peroxidation of cardiac lipid by adriamycin (1). Recently, it has been reported that both the lipid peroxidation and cardiac toxicity that follow administration of adriamycin are reduced by pretreatment with the free radical scavenger, tocopherol (2). The present study was undertaken to compare the incidence of adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy in rodents treated with (a), the compound alone and (b), adriamycin and tocopherol. One group of CDFp male mice received alpha-tocopherol (85 units, I.P.) 24 hours prior to the administration of adriamycin (15 mg/kg, I.P.). A second group was dosed identically with adriamycin, without tocopherol pretreatment. Both groups of mice were sacrificed 5 days following drug administration and myocardium from left ventricles was excised, fixed in glutaralde- hyde and prepared for electron microscopy.