Cardiac Histopathological and Immunohistochemichal Changes due to Electrical Injury in Rats

Ghandour, Nagwa M.; Refaiy, Abeer E.; Omran, Ghada A.

doi:10.21608/mjfmct.2013.47720

Cardiac Histopathological and Immunohistochemichal Changes due to Electrical Injury in Rats

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology; Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt

² Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt

³ Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt

10.21608/mjfmct.2013.47720

Abstract

The aim of this study was to detect the histopathological findings in the myocardium after electrical injury in rats and the potential role of c- fos expression as a marker to distinguish between antemortem and postmortem electrocution. Seventy healthy female rats were included in the study and randomly divided into four groups (A,B,C,D). Group (A): Twenty rats were subjected to instantaneous antemortem electricity, and were divided randomly into two subgroups. Group (A1): Ten rats were subjected to cervical dislocation and the hearts were collected immediately. Group (A2): Ten rats were left alive for1h from electrical injury then hearts were collected after cervical dislocation. Group (B): Twenty rats were electrically injured instantaneously postmortem, after death by cervical dislocation, and were also divided into two subgroups. Group (B1): Hearts were collected immediately in 10 rats. Group (B2): Hearts were collected after 1h from electrical injury in the other 10 rats. Group (C): Twenty rats were electrified up to death, and divided randomly into two subgroups. Group (C1): Hearts of 10 rats were collected immediately. Group (C2): Hearts of the other 10 rats were collected after 1h of death from electricity. Lastly, 10 rats were served as the control group (Group D). Group (D1): Five rats were clamped but not electrified, before death by cervical dislocation. Group (D2): other 5 rats were clamped but not electrified, after being killed by cervical dislocation. Sections from the hearts of all groups were fixed in formalin and routinely processed. c- fos expression was evaluated in all groups by immunohistochemistry. Significant histopathological findings were detected in groups A and C. Few c-fos oncogene protein positive cardiomyocyte nuclei were seen in rats of groups (A1) and (B1). Positive expression of c-fos protein increased in rats of groups C1, C2 and A2. No c-fos oncogene protein expression was seen either in control groups or in group B2. Significant differences in c-fos oncogene protein expression were observed between rats of groups A1, A2, C1 and C2. Thus, c-fos can be regarded as a marker in identifying electrical injury, and can be used as an indicator to distinguish between antemortem and postmortem electrocution.

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