Effect of amiodarone on phospholipid content and composition in heart, lung, kidney and skeletal muscle: relationship to alteration of thyroid function

To investigate the effect of chronic amiodarone treatment on tissue phospholipids, a marker of amiodarone-induced toxicity, and to test the hypothesis that tissue phospholipids changes are related to amiodarone-induced effects on thyroid function, male Wistar rats were treated with amiodarone and tissue phospholipid content and fractions were assessed. Twenty-six animals were allocated to 4 groups: (i) group 1 received amiodarone, 20 mg/kg per day, for 3 weeks (n = 6); (ii) group 2 received amiodarone for 5 weeks (n = 6); (iii) group 3 received drug for 6 weeks (n = 6), and (iv) group 4 (control group) received the diluent for 6 weeks (n = 8). Total phospholipid content of lung, kidney and skeletal muscle but not heart was increased after 3 weeks of amiodarone treatment. With longer durations of treatment, the phospholipid content was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in all four organs. The proportion of phospholipids in different classes was modified by amiodarone treatment with the most consistent changes across different tissues being reductions in phosphatidylethanolamine and increases in phosphatidylserine. Serum thyroxine concentration was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced at 5 weeks of treatment and thereafter. There was a significant correlation between serum thyroxine and total phospholipid concentration in heart (r = 0.555; p < 0.05) and lung (r = 0.502; p < 0.05). For heart, there was a significant correlation between serum thyroxine and the distribution of phospholipid classes, mainly for phosphatidylserine even after considering amiodarone dose. The same was found in the lung. In the kidney and skeletal muscle, there was a significant (p < 0.05) correlation between serum thyroxine and the proportion of phospholipids in phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin. In conclusion, this study presents the novel finding of a biphasic tissue phospholipid response to amiodarone characterized by a short term increase in phospholipids in lung, kidney and skeletal muscle but not the heart followed by a long term decline in phospholipids in all four organs that is likely due to a direct action of amiodarone on phospholipid metabolism and potentially the result of amiodarone-induced reduction in thyroid function.