Postnatal Changes in the Morphology of the Myocardium in Rat Ventricles

Background: Aging of the myocardium is a dynamic process which involves progressive loss of cardiomyocytes due to necrosis and apoptosis, interstitial fi brosis and reactive hypertrophy of the remaining vital cardiomyocytes. In our study, we investigated the postnatal changes in the myocardium of 15 adult male Wistar rats, distributed in the following age groups: 2 weeks, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months old. We used routine hematoxylin and eosin staining and Mallory’s trichrome stain. Results: Hypertrophy of the cardiomyocytes and accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins in the interstitial space in the aging myocardium were observed. The occurrence of these processes was more dynamic in the left ventricle as opposed to the right ventricle owing to the functional dissimilarities between the two ventricles and a more pronounced effect of afterload on the left ventricle. Conclusions: In conclusion, it can be stated that aging of the myocardium is a dynamic process, characterized by hypertrophy of the cardiomyocytes, reduced capillary density and increased deposition of collagen. Research Article Postnatal Changes in the Morphology of the Myocardium in Rat Ventricles Georgi Kotov1, Alexandar Iliev1*, Boycho Landzhov1, Lazar Jelev1, Iva N. Dimitrova2, Dimka Hinova-Palova1 1Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Sofi a, Bulgaria 2Department of Cardiology, University Hospital “St. Ekaterina”, Medical University of Sofi a, Bulgaria Dates: Received: 17 February, 2017; Accepted: 06 March, 2017; Published: 10 March, 2017 *Corresponding author: Alexandar Iliev, Professor, Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology, Medical University of Sofi a, Bulgaria, Tel: +35929172641; Email: