Gravimetric and morphometric assessments in Wistar rats with experimental diabetes mellitus type 1 and cardiac failure

Diabetes mellitus type 1 and cardiac failure were experimentally induced in 55 Wistar adult rats. The animals were divided in four groups and treated as follows: group 1 (streptozotocin and adriamycin), group 2 (streptozotocin), group 3 (adriamycin), group 4 (healthy control rats). 70 days after administration, the rats were euthanized. Body weight, cardiac weight and liver weight were assessed. Cardiac gravimetric values were completed with the assessment of longitudinal diameter and transversal diameter of the heart, interventricular septum and free walls of the left and right ventricle. All values were used for calculation of longitudinal cardiac diameter/transversal cardiac diameter ratio, heart weight/body weight ratio, ventricular ratio, liver weight/body weight ratio. Rats from group 1 and group 2 presented the highest degree of hypertrophy of the left ventricle, ventricular ratio being 8.33 ± 2.53 and 6.25 ± 1.85, respectively (P<0.05). Increased values of heart weight/body weight ratio and liver weight/body weight were also recorded in group 1 and group 2, with 0.37(102) ±0.06 and 4.19(102) ±0.79 respectively in group 1 (P<0.05), 0.40(102) ±0.04 and 3.73(102) ±0.74 respectively in group 2 (P<0.05). Transversal diameter/ longitudinal diameter ratio recorded no significant differences between all groups, but significant differences occurred between group 3 and control