ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF PLACENTA AND SPLEEN CRYOEXTRACTS ON MYOCARDIAL FUNCTION IN EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE MYOCARDITIS

Abstract

Abstract. Myocarditis remains a poorly understood condition with a wide range of clinical manifestations, often leading to heart failure. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been an increase in both the incidence and mortality of myocarditis. Despite significant advancements in its diagnosis and treatment, the disease’s morbidity and mortality remain high, highlighting the need for further efforts to identify short- and long-term prognostic factors and to develop new therapeutic approaches. The aim of the study is to characterize the effect of placental and spleen cryoextracts (CEP & CES accordingly) on the functional state of the myocardium in experimental autoimmune myocarditis based on echocardiographic data. Materials and methods. The effectiveness of CEP (cryoextract of placenta) and CES (cryoextract of spleen) in AIM was studied on 35 male rats weighing 200-220 g, randomized into 5 groups. Ultrasound examination of the heart was performed using the Sonomed 500 ultrasound echotomoscope (Poli-Spectrum, Ukraine) in B-mode and M-mode with a linear probe (7.5L38, 7.5 MHz) on the 28th day of the experiment. Heart rate (HR) per minute was also measured. During the study, animals were under inhalational anesthesia. Ultrasound scanning was conducted in a plane perpendicular to the surface of the chest with a parasternal approach along the long axis of the heart. In M-mode, the heart chamber structures – diameters and distances – were measured. Results and Discussion. The study showed that in animals with AIM without treatment, significant impairments in heart function were observed. Stroke volume (SV) decreased to 0.26 ml, cardiac output (CO) reduced by 32.4%, and ejection fraction dropped to 37.2%, indicating severe impairment of the heart’s contractile function. The administration of CEP led to an improvement in heart function: SV increased to 0.55 ml, CO increased by 97.5%, and ejection fraction reached 80.1%. CES also improved functional indicators, but the effect was less pronounced. SV in the CES group was 0.38 ml, CO increased by 50.5%, and ejection fraction was 60.4%. Conclusions. CEP therapy showed significant improvement in heart function in rats with AMI, evident from the increase in major functional indicators such as SV, CO, fractional shortening, and ejection fraction. CES also demonstrated a positive effect, though less pronounced compared to CEP.