IJCS | Volume 32, Nº2, May/June 2019

DOI: 10.5935/2359-4802.20190014 247 ORIGINAL ARTICLE International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 2019;32(3)247-252 Mailing Address: Francis Lopes Pacagnelli Santo Anastácio, s/n. Postal Code: 19360-000, Jardim América, Santo Anastácio, SP - Brazil. E-mail: francispacagnelli@unoeste.br, francispacagnelli@hotmail.com Effect of Short-Term Inhalation of The Herbicide 2,4D on Cardiac Remodeling: Morphological Aspects Ana Lucia Ribeiro Negrã o, B ianca de Oliveira , M ariana de Godoy Gonçalve s, T haoan Bruno Marian o, Tais Fernanda da Silva Oliveira , A na Karênina Dias Almeida Sabel a, R enata Calciolari Rossi e Silv a, R aíssa de Oliveira Mantovan i, G isele Alborghetti Na i, F rancis Lopes Pacagnel li Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP - Brazil Manuscript received December 04, 2017; revised manuscript February 09, 2018; accepted November 01, 2018. Abstract Background: Brazil is the worldwide leader in the long-term use of pesticides and herbicides. This compromises the health of handlers by causing harmful neurological, respiratory, and cardiovascular changes. The herbicide 2.4D has been shown to cause cardiac overload with subsequent pathological remodeling. Objective: To analyze the cardiac morphological repercussions on the left ventricle (LV) of mice submitted to nebulization by the herbicide 2.4D. Methods: Fifteen mice were divided into three groups: control group (CG; n = 5) exposed to nebulization with sodium chloride solution; low concentration group (LCG; n = 5) exposed to nebulization of the herbicide 2.4D with 3.71 x 10-3 grams; and high concentration group (HCG; n = 5) exposed to nebulization of the herbicide 2.4D with 9.28 x 10-3 grams for 15 minutes. The fractal dimension analysis was performed through the box-counting method. Later, the ImageJ program was used to calculate the fractal dimension of each group. To evaluate cardiac remodeling, histological slides were prepared and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE). Fifty areas of cardiomyocytes were analyzed per animal. The comparisons between groups were performed by ANOVA One- Way with Tukey’s posttest (p < 0.05). Results: There was no change in fractal dimension values between the CG = 1.37 ± 0.02, LCG = 1.33 ± 0.04 and the HCG = 1.33 ± 0.07 groups. However, cardiac hypertrophy occurred in the HCG = 303.9 ± 38.80 μm 2 when compared to the CG group = 236.9 ± 61.71 μm 2 (p = 0.034). Conclusion: The herbicide 2.4D used for 72 hours did not promote cardiotoxicity when evaluated by fractal dimension. However, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was observed in the LV. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2019;32(3)247-252) Keywords: Mice; Pesticides/adverse effects;Herbicides/adverse effects;Agrochemicals;NeurologicManifestations; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Hypertrophy,Left Ventricular. Introduction Herbicides are pesticides used in agriculture, plants and crops (green vegetables, fruits and vegetables) used to protect, repel and fight the proliferation of living organisms (pests, fungi, insects, weeds, birds, mollusks, microbes and arachnids) that are harmful to the agricultural production. 1-5 They are classified according to their toxicity, which may range from low to extreme, constituting a great risk to the health and the environment. 1,3-5 According to the Brazilian Department of the Environment, Brazil is the worldwide leader in the consumption of agrochemicals, due to the vast culture and source of labor in agriculture. 6 Since 2003, the agrochemical market has increased its use