ABSTRACT
Caffeine has been used for thousands of years and is one of the most widely consumed psychoactive stimulant substance in the world. Different cultures discovered that chewing seeds, barks or leaves of certain plants containing the substance had the effects of easing fatigue, increasing awareness and elevating mood. It is found in several commercial nonalcoholic beverages, soft drinks and energy drinks that are consumed daily. The heart is a muscular organ located in the mediastinum. It is shaped like a pyramid, consisting of four chambers, four valves, two major arteries (coronary arteries), and a conducting system. The left and right sides of the heart have different functions.
The right side receives deoxygenated blood via the superior and inferior vena cava and pumps blood to the lungs via the pulmonary artery, while the left side receives oxygenated blood from the lungs. This study was aim at assessing the effect of caffeine toxicity on the heart of an adult Wistar rat. Twenty (20) Adult Wistar rats weighing between 110-220g were randomly distributed into four groups (A to D), each containing five rats (n=5 per group). Group A rats (control) was received top growers mash feed and distilled water for a period of two weeks, Group B was administered 200mg/kg dose of caffeine, Group C was administered 400mg/kg dose of caffeine and Group D was administered 800mg/kg dose of caffeine. After the administration, the animals were sacrificed under chloroform anesthesia; the heart was harvested then fixed in 10% formal saline solution for histological analysis. IBM SPSS (Statistical package for social sciences) version 26 was used to analyse data generated. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out and the data were presented as Mean ± SEM. LSD post hoc test was used. Value of P≤0.05 was considered significant. The statistical value obtained was converted into graphical representation in form of bar chart. Histologically, Group A, showed normal cardiac tissue with cardiomyoctye, interstitial space and coronary artery. Group B, exhibited stenosis, hypertrophy perivascular in the coronary artery with inflammation around the artery and perivascular necrosis on the myocyte around. Group C, exhibited vascular distortion and inflammatory cells around blood vessels, Group D, exhibited myocardial degeneration and vascular congestion. In conclusion, Caffeine induces myocarditis in lower concentration and as concentration increases, there was degeneration of the myocardium (myocardial infarction).
