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Journal of Nutrition Vol. 110 No. 10 October 1980, pp. 2035-2044
Copyright © 1980 by American Society for Nutrition
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The Heart in Protein-Calorie Malnutrition in Rats: Morphological, Electrophysiological and Biochemical Changes1

Odecio Pissaia, Marcos A. Rossi2 and Joao S. M. Oliveira

Department of Pathology, Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Medical School of Ribeirao Preto, 14100 Ribeirao Preto, S.P., Brasil

Experimental protein-calorie malnutrition was produced in rats by feeding them a low-protein diet for 6 weeks. Control animals were fed a high-protein diet. The deficient rats showed severe restriction of body weight gain, fatty liver and hypoproteinemia. In addition the present study demonstrated that the experimentally-induced protein-calorie malnutrition brings about striking pathological and electrocardiographic changes as well as increased cardiac catecholamine levels. Based on this demonstration and considering the synchronism of morphological, electrophysiological and biochemical data, we postulated that nutritional stress to the heart raises the myocardium norepinephrine concentration, and continued exposure to high levels of catecholamines may play a role in the development of cardiac changes in protein-energy malnutrition.

KEY WORDS: • protein-calorie malnutrition • heart catecholamines • norepinephrine • cardiac pathological and electrophysiological changes

1 This work represents part of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Dr. Odecio Pissaia).

2 To whom reprint requests should be sent.

Manuscript received 5 November 1979.




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