Evaluating the Effects of Acute and Chronic Doxorubicin Administration on Cardiac Function Through Electrocardiographic Measurements

Background: The medications used to treat cancer can lead to cardiac problems, which restricts their use. Furthermore, the method these medications are taken seems to have an impact on varied out-comes. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether administering doxorubicin (DOX) agent acutely and chronically has distinct impacts on the electrical activity of the heart. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six male Wistar-Albino rats, weighing between 200-250 grams, were split into three groups: control group; no treatment was applied to animals (n=8), DOX acute group: a single dosage of 15.05 mg/kg of DOX was given at the end of the 3 weeks (n=8), DOX chronic group; which received an intraperitoneal (i.p.) 2.15 mg/kg DOX for 3 weeks, 7 doses in total (n=10). At the end of the experimental period, electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements were taken for all animals and evaluated. Results: ECG data showed that heart rate (HR), P wave amplitude, and P duration did not differ between the acute and control groups but did statistically significantly declined in the chronic group. In both DOX groups, PR interval remained unchanged compared to the control. Also, RR interval increased significantly in the chronic group while it remained unchanged in the acute DOX dose group. The QRS duration was found to have considerably increased in both DOX groups. Furthermore, it was found that both DOX groups had a considerable increase in the QT interval, although the chronic group's increase was more noticeable. Conclusions: In conclusion, it is thought that the ways in which these medications are administered may result in significant variations in heart function. Acute DOX treatment appears to be less harmful than chronic exposure, as evidenced by its lack of adverse effects, particularly on P wave amplitude (a measure of atrial contraction) and P wave duration (the length of the contraction). However, more research is required to validate these findings. Key Words: Electrocardiogram (ECG), Doxorubicin (DOX), Cardiotoxicity