Histopathological changes in gastrocnemius muscles of rabbits injected with HI-6 in saline

The gastrocnemius muscles of rabbits were injected with HI-6 in saline. Macroscopic and histopathological examinations of injection sites and regional lymph nodes revealed that HI-6 in saline produced muscle necrosis. Macroscopic examinations of muscles injected with a low dose of HI-6 (50 mg/kg) showed no lesions on Day 7. However, histopathological examinations disclosed lesions on some animals but with evidence of healing processes by Day 7; lesions disappeared by Day 14. Further macroscopic and histopathological examinations revealed that lesions associated with the high dose (200 mg/kg) were still prominent on Day 14 but with evidence of healing. Similar lesions seen in muscles injected with saline were significantly less persistent than those associated with HI-6.