Quantitative experimental evaluation of adriamycin cardiotoxicity in the mouse

Adriamycin cardiotoxicity was morphologically evaluated in mice treated iv ten times at three dose levels which were equal to fixed fractions of the LD50. Good correlation between the degenerative heart lesions, scored according to a nonparametric scoring system, and the doses was found and allowed calculation of a median cumulative cardiotoxic dose of 36.4 mg/kg of body weight (121.5 mg/m2). The method is suitable for quantitative screening of the potential cardiotoxicity of new anthracycline analogs under standardized conditions.