Histopathological changes in the rat hearts.

<p>A: Representative macroscopic transversal sections of hearts. The right and left ventricle of DCM hearts are dilated and the LV wall thickness is decreased. Scale bar = 1 mm. B: Photomicrographs show representative myocardial sections stained with HE. Myocardial architecture is intact with cardiomyocytes lined up in order in the untreated and control groups. Myofibrils are widely disintegrated, accompanied by multifocal degeneration and myocytolysis with diffused lymphocytes and monocytes infiltration in the model group. Scale bar = 0.1 mm. C: Photomicrographs show representative myocardial sections stained with Masson’s trichrome. Obvious heart fibrosis is observed in the model group. Scale bar = 0.1 mm. D: Quantitative analysis demonstrated that the collagen volume fraction in the model group (n = 16) was significantly greater than that in the untreated (n = 6) or control group (n = 9). *<i>P</i><0.05 versus the control group.