THE EFFECT OF CHRONIC COBALT EXPOSURE ON CARDIAC-FUNCTION IN RATS

Cobalt has been documented as a myocardial toxin, although the mechanism remains unclear. We have studied the effect of chronic cobolt exposure on cardiac function, using a modified Langendorff model in 3 groups of rats. One group (A) of 12 rats served as a control group and was fed a normal diet. A second group (B) of 12 rats was fed a protein-restricted diet and a third group (C) of 12 rats was fed as group B, supplemented with 40 mg CoSO4 x 7H2O/kg body weight per day for 8 weeks. There was a marked accumulation of cobalt in the myocardium in group C as compared to the other two groups. We did, however, not find any signs of cardiac dysfunction nor any correlation between the myocardial concentration of cobalt and the hemodynamics.