Balance of purine nucleotides and catabolites in the isolated ischemic rat heart

Restored capillary density in spared myocardium of infarcted rats improves ischemic tolerance

Myocardial infarction (MI)-induced hypertrophy is associated with a decreased capillary density, which may negatively affect ischemic tolerance of the spared myocardium. The current study investigated the effects of moxonidine, a centrally acting sympatholytic, on left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and capillary density in relation to sensitivity to ischemia in infarcted hearts. Infarcted rats were randomized to receive 3 or 6 mg/kg/d of moxonidine from 1 to 21 days after MI. LV hypertrophy after MI was indicated by increased ventricular to body weight ratio and was significantly inhibited by moxonidine. Histologic analysis revealed that MI-induced concentric hypertrophy of the spared myocardium, as indicated by almost double cross-sectional area of Gomori-stained myocytes, was completely prevented by 6 mg/kg/d of moxonidine. This effect was accompanied by a a restored number of lectin-stained capillaries per tissue area. However, capillary-to-myocyte ratio was similar in all groups. LV dysfunction after MI, measured in isolated perfused hearts, was confirmed by decreased LV systolic pressure and +dP/dtmax and was not affected by moxonidine. Low-flow ischemia, induced by lowering perfusion pressure from 85 to 15 mm Hg for 30 min, resulted in a further reduction of cardiac perfusion compared with sham rats, which was normalized with 6 mg/kg/d of moxonidine. Ischemic sensitivity in MI hearts, as reflected by increased maximal coronary flow during reperfusion, was reduced with moxonidine. This was further supported by substantially lower purines and lactate concentrations in the coronary effluent during ischemia. These results indicate that moxonidine-induced prevention of hypertrophy may preserve capillary density without affecting capillary number, thereby improving ischemic tolerance of the spared myocardium.

Early captopril prevents myocardial infarction-induced hypertrophy but not angiogenesis

Delayed captopril, started after the healing phase of myocardial infarction, improves perfusion by reducing tissue weight without affecting the vascular capacity of the heart. Early captopril, during the healing phase, prevents reactive hypertrophy, but the effects on angiogenesis are unknown. Therefore, the effects of early captopril (2 g/l drinking water, from 1 day until 3 weeks after myocardial infarction) on regional coronary flow related to tissue mass, were studied in isolated perfused hearts from rats, subjected to coronary artery ligation. Regional maximal vascular capacity was measured during nitroprusside-induced vasodilation, using radioactive microspheres. Maximal vascular capacity was not changed by captopril. Reactive hypertrophy in infarcted hearts only reached statistical significance in the left ventricular free wall. Since captopril prevented hypertrophy but did not affect regional capacity, peak tissue perfusion was improved. Indicating effects on metabolism, captopril restored the increased lactate/purine ratio in infarcted hearts. Thus, early captopril treatment prevented post-myocardial infarction hypertrophy but did not suppress angiogenesis, thus beneficially influencing the vascularization/tissue mass ratio, probably reflected by preservation of aerobic metabolism.

Sensitivity to ischemia of chronically infarcted rat hearts; effects of long-term captopril treatment

Myocardial infarction induced hypertrophy of non-infarcted myocardium, in parallel with interstitial and perivascular fibrosis and a decreased capillary density, could increase sensitivity to ischemia. The structural cardiac changes can be reversed by long-term captopril treatment. In the present study, ischemic sensitivity in relation to cardiac perfusion was studied in isolated, perfused hearts of untreated and captopril-treated infarcted rats. In chronically (8 weeks) infarcted hearts, maximal vasodilation in response to administered adenosine and nitroprusside, as well as to endogenously released vasodilators during reperfusion, was decreased, suggesting impaired cardiac perfusion. Ischemic release of purines and lactate was reduced in infarcted hearts, indicating decreased sensitivity to ischemia of the remodeled myocardium. Captopril treatment (3-8 weeks post myocardial infarction), which reversed hypertrophy without affecting the flow capacity of the coronary vascular bed, restored maximal cardiac perfusion. Ischemic ATP breakdown was not affected by captopril, whereas lactate release was even further reduced, suggesting alterations towards a more aerobic ATP production. These data indicate that despite the reduced maximal cardiac perfusion, the remodeled myocardium of infarcted hearts is less sensitive to ischemia. Reversal of hypertrophy by chronic captopril restored maximal cardiac perfusion and led to a better preservation of aerobic ATP production during ischemia.

Biochemical changes in the intestine associated with anoxia and reoxygenation: in vivo and in vitro studies

In ischemia/reperfusion injury, it is hypothesized that superoxide is responsible for the component of injury due to reperfusion. The superoxide is hypothesized to result from the aerobic oxidation of purines produced by the ischemia-mediated breakdown of high-energy phosphates. This oxidation is catalyzed by xanthine oxidase proposed to be rapidly formed as a result of ischemia-mediated protease conversion from xanthine dehydrogenase. In vivo experiments with the intestine of either rats or guinea pigs were unable to confirm the rapid conversion of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase as a result of ischemia. In vitro experiments with isolated guinea pig enterocytes did show a significant increase in xanthine oxidase activity after these cells were first placed in an anaerobic environment for 60 min and then reoxygenated; however, the magnitude of the increase is such that the biological importance of this finding remains uncertain. Using a variety of techniques, including spin trapping, hydroxylamine oxidation, and vanadate NADPH oxidation, we explored the possibility that superoxide was produced as a result of anoxia followed by reoxygenation in the in vitro enterocyte system. From these experiments, we determined that superoxide is generated as a result of anoxia/reoxygenation. However, from xanthine oxidase inhibition experiments using pterinaldehyde, only a small percentage of the total superoxide produced comes from the action of this enzyme on purines.