Effect of qinghaosu (artemisinine) suspension in oil on ultrastructure of myocardium in rhesus monkeysv

Qinghaosu (artemisinine) suspension in oil was injected im to 30 thesus monkeys qd x 14 d. Severe ultrastructural damages of myocardium were noticed in 192 and 96 mg/kg/d groups killed on d 3 after the last im. These involved obvious reduction of glycogen granules. swelling and vacuolar degeneration of some mitochondria, coacervation and homo-genization of cristae. dilatation of endoplasmic reticulum, derangement, fusion and homogeni-zation of filaments, even dissolution and necrosis in severe cases, and extension of space of intercalated disks. There were only mild lesions in 24 mg/kg/d group, ie, swelling and vacuolar degeneration of mitochondria. In myocardium excised on d 35 after the last im, no damages were found. It is concluded that im qinghaosu suspension in oil above 96 mg/kg/d induced in the myocardium of thesus monkeys transient ultrastructural damages which recovered within 5 weeks.