Egypt. J. Exp. Biol. (Zool.), 8(2): 273 – 285 (2012) © The Egyptian Society of Experimental Biology RESEARCH ARTICLE Nabila I. El-Desouki* Amal I. El-Refaiy** Dalia F. A. Abou-Zaid* Amira A. Abdel - Kader* HISTOLOGICAL, HISTOCHEMICAL, AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF THE CARDIAC MUSCLE OF THE ALBINO RAT UNDER IMMOBILIZATION STRESS AND THE CURATIVE ROLE OF DIAZEPAM ABSTRACT: The present study is planned to study the effect CORRESPONDENCE: of immobilization stress on the cardiac muscle Nabila Ibrahim El-Desouki of adult male albino rats and the curative role of Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, diazepam. The study was carried out on 80 Tanta University, Egypt. albino rats; the animals were divided into eight groups: group 1 served as control rats; group 2 E-mail:
[email protected] unstressed rats injected intraperitoneally daily with 0.1 mg/kg b.w. diazepam for 30 days; groups 3, 4, and 5 served as immobilized Amal I. El-Refaiy** stressed-rats for 30 days (by restricting Dalia F. A. Abou-Zaid* movement for 2 hr daily at different durations Amira A. Abdel - Kader* 5, 15, and 30 days, respectively); groups 6, 7, and 8 stressed rats treated daily with 0.1 mg/kg *Dept. of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta b.w. diazepam for 30 days. The histological University study of the cardiac myofibres of the stressed- **Dept. of Biological & Environmental rats revealed disorganization of the muscle Science, Faculty of Home Economic, Al-Azhar fibres, vacuolation of the sarcoplasm, pyknosis Univ. of the nuclei, congestion and dilatation of blood vessels in endomysium. The thickness of collagen fibres gradually increased and became ARTICLE CODE: 35.01.12 compact dense in the stressed rats till 30 days, and they were more obvious around the blood vessels.