You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
Doxorubicin (DOX) a chemotherapeutic agent may be used to treat soft tissue, bone sarcomas and cancers of the breast, ovary, bladder, and thyroid. It is also used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloblastic leukemia, hodgkin lymphoma, and small cell lung cancer. Doxorubicin is also associated with significant cardiac toxicity, involving increased oxidative stress, down-regulation of cardiac-specific genes, and induction of cardiac myocyte apoptosis which limits the long-term use of the drug. Dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera), is an ester of fumaric acid which exhibits antioxidant and cytoprotective properties, suggesting its potential as a protective agent against DOX-induced cardiac damage. Doxorubicin toxicity has been reported to cause dyslipidaemia a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. This study evaluated the lipid profile levels of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxic Wistar rats treated with fumarate. A total of thirty-two Wistar rats were used. Animals were divided into four (4) groups; control group, doxorubicin administered group, fumarate (50mg/kg) administered group, and fumarate (100mg/kg) administered group. Animals were sacrificed and blood samples collected for serum lipid profile assay on the tenth day following the onset of treatment. Results showed significant increase in TC level (p<0.05) on comparison of doxorubicin group and 100mg/kg fumarate group. TG, HDL-c, and LDL-c showed no significant change (p>0.05). AIP level showed statistically significant increase (p<0.05) between control group and 100mg/kg fumarate group, and doxorubicin group and 100mg/kg fumarate group (p<0.01). CRR and AC levels showed no significant change (p>0.05). This study suggests that the treatment of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity with fumarate may dispose to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, and that administered doses of fumarate as well as duration of exposure to doxorubicin should be considered.
