Cardiotoxicity study of amsacrine in rats

The cardiac functional and tissue changes produced by the antineoplastic agent, amsacrine, were evaluated in CD male rats. Amsacrine was administered intraperitoneally to groups of 12 male rats in single weekly doses of 12, 6, and 3 mg/m2 for 13 weeks. The drug elicited target organ toxicity in the bone marrow, lymphoid tissue, and gonads. There were blood biochemical alterations with transient elevations of total serum creatine phosphokinase, creatine phosphokinase-MB fraction, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels at 12 mg/m2, suggesting myocardial damage; however, there was no associated pathologic evidence of cardiotoxicity. This study indicates that amsacrine has negligible cardiotoxicity in rats when administered weekly for 13 weeks even at the lethal dose levels.