Clinical observations, cutaneous lesions, and hematologic alterations in chronic adriamycin intoxication in dogs with and without vitamin E and selenium supplementation.

Chronic adriamycin (ADR) intoxication with cardiomyopathy developed in young Beagle dogs given weekly IV injections (1 mg/kg of body weight) for 20 weeks (cumulative dose 400 mg/m2). Eighteen dogs were allotted equally to three groups: group A received ADR only, group B was given ADR and simultaneous weekly doses of vitamin E (17 mg/kg of body weight as alpha-tocopherol acetate), and group C received ADR, weekly doses of vitamin E as in group B, and selenium (0.06 mg/kg of body weight as selenite). The dogs reacted with cutaneous hyperemia, head shaking, and vomiting immediately after ADR injection. After 4 to 6 weekly injections, all the dogs developed alopecia that was present initially over the head and subsequently extended to the ventral portions of the neck, thorax, and abdomen and the proximal inner areas of the limbs. Other skin lesions present in alopecic areas were secondary ulcerative dermatitis and melanosis. Testicular atrophy and cachexia developed in the dogs, but damage was not present in bone marrow, alimentary tract, kidney, and bone with the dosage schedule utilized. Hematologic studies showed no significant alterations. Supplementation with vitamin E alone or with selenium failed to alter the incidence and severity of extracardiac ADR-induced lesions. This study shows that the dog is a good model for studies of chronic ADR-induced cardiotoxicity, as cardiac damage was consistently produced and ADR-associated extracardiac lesions were of minimal severity.