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A Procedure to Study the Effect of Prolonged Food Restriction on Heroin Seeking in Abstinent Rats
Published on: November 11, 2013
[Study on the changes of electrocardiogram and ultrastructural in heroin dependence in rats]
Xiao-shan Liu1, Yu-chuang Chen, Zhao-hui Li
1Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical Center of Zhongshan University, Guanzhou 510080, China. lxsa@gzsums.edu.cn
Objective:
To study the changes of electrocardiograms (ECG) and myocardial ultrastructure in heroin dependence in rats, in order to reveal the mechanisms of the myocardial injury by heroin.
Methods:
Establish heroin addict model in SD mice, investigate the changes in electrocardiograms, HE staining and myocardial ultrastructure.
Results:
The electrocardiograms of the addict group had prominently changes, main expressions: heart rate decreased, P wave and T wave amplitude reduced and duration increased, S-T reduced and duration increased, QT interval prolongation, these changes indicated that myocardium had been injured, myocardial ischemia, ventricle function declined. These difference was significant (P<0.05) between before inject heroin and after inject heroin. Transformations in the ultrastructure: nuclear concentrate, reduce, nuclear membrane shrink, chromatin agglutinate, mitochondria cristal had disorder formation, disappeared or hollowed, these indicated that heroin could cause pathological changes in myocardial ultrastructure.
Conclusion:
Above-mentioned changes indicated that heroin can injure myocardium, and the changes of myocardial ultrastructure suggested that myocardial apoptosis may be one of the mechanisms of the myocardial injury by heroin.
