Ultrastructural damage in vascular endothelium in rats treated with paclitaxel and doxorubicin.

Endothelium is the first physiological barrier between blood and tissues and can be injured by physical or chemical stress, particularly by the drugs used in the cancer therapy. Paclitaxel and doxorubicin are frequently used anticancer drugs and their cardiac side effects are well observed in clinical setting. Their side effects on the endothelium are still not clear enough. There are few investigations assessing the damages elicited by the combination use of chemotherapy agents in animal experimental models. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the side effects of doxorubicin and paclitaxel on endothelium in vivo. The drugs were administered weekly to rats via intraperitoneal injections singly or in combinations. Lastly, aorta endothelium was examined. The most familiar parts of the aorta endothelium are the nucleus, free ribosomes, Weibel-Palada granules, plasmalemmal vesicles, and clear basement membrane. Examination of the endothelium and the related structures revealed some clear degenerative findings. Notably, administration of a paclitaxel and doxorubicin combinations caused the most dramatic change in ultrastructure, which may disrupt many functions of the endothelium.