Cardiotoxicity is a condition when the heart has problems to pump properly. One of the most common events for a heart dysfunction is the toxicity of the functional cardiac cells –cardiomyocytes-. The most usual mechanisms involved in the cardiac cell dysfunction are; the oxidative extress, the DNA damage and the caspase activation with the subsequent apoptosis. We analyze the following parameters in the cardiotoxicity Assay:
- Oxidative Stress
- Apoptosis: Caspase 3/7 Activation
- Genotoxicity (DNA damage)
- Cell Viability
Human or animal cardiomyocytes are treated with the compounds during 24 hours at different concentrations and after the treatment the probe is added to measure the oxidative stress. After the probes measurement, we perform the immunoyhistochemistry for active caspase 3 and DNA damage. Results from the different parameters are compared with negative controls for each parameter. The drug will be refused in the case that the differences for one parameter was statistically significant in comparison with the negative controls. The experiment has been tested with the compounds that are used like references for the different paramenters. “doxorubicin” and “daunorubicin” are drugs that affect the three parameters and melatonin is an antioxidant used like a drug that do not affect neither of the parameters.
Cell line used: Primary Cardiomyocytes
Readout: Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage, Caspase Activation, Cell Viability