Cardioprotective effects of various class I antiarrhythmic drugs in canine hearts

Analysis of free drug fractions in serum by ultrafast affinity extraction and two-dimensional affinity chromatography using α1-acid glycoprotein microcolumns

In the circulatory system, many drugs are reversibly bound to serum proteins such as human serum albumin (HSA) and alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), resulting in both free and protein-bound fractions for these drugs. This report examined the use of microcolumns containing immobilized AGP for the measurement of free drug fractions by ultrafast affinity extraction and a two-dimensional affinity system. Several drugs known to bind AGP were used as models to develop and evaluate this approach. Factors considered during the creation of this method included the retention of the drugs on the microcolumns, the injection flow rate, the microcolumn size, and the times at which a second AGP column was placed on-line with the microcolumn. The final system had residence times of only 110-830ms during sample passage through the AGP microcolumns and allowed free drug fractions to be determined within 10-20min when using only 3-10μL of sample per injection. This method was used to measure the free fractions of the model drugs at typical therapeutic levels in serum, giving good agreement with the results obtained by ultrafiltration. This approach was also used to estimate the binding constants for each drug with AGP in serum, even for drugs that had significant interactions with both AGP and HSA in such samples. These results indicated that AGP microcolumns could be used with ultrafast affinity extraction to measure free drug fractions in a label-free manner and to study the binding of drugs with AGP in complex samples such as serum.

The effects of a high dose of ascorbate on ischemia-reperfusion-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in canine hearts

The cardioprotective effects of a high dose of ascorbate on ischemia-reperfusion-induced myocardial damage were investigated using open chest anesthetized dogs. Two-hour occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) induced mitochondrial dysfunction with a depletion of mitochondrial glutathione (GSH) concentration. Two-hour LAD occlusion followed by 1-h reperfusion worsened the ischemia-induced mitochondrial dysfunction together with a marked depletion of mitochondrial GSH concentration. Ascorbate reduced the mitochondrial dysfunction and prevented the depletion of mitochondrial GSH concentration after 2-h LAD occlusion and 1-h reperfusion. Activities of mitochondrial glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase did not change significantly in each group. Administration of ascorbate also prevented reperfusion arrhythmias without affecting blood pressure or heart rate. These results suggest that coronary reperfusion induces mitochondrial dysfunction and a depletion of mitochondrial GSH concentration, and that a high dose of ascorbate prevents reperfusion damage.

The cardioprotective effect of gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester during coronary reperfusion in canine hearts

1. The cardioprotective effect of gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester was investigated on ischaemia-reperfusion-induced myocardial damage in anaesthetized dogs. 2. Open chest anaesthetized dogs were divided into four groups: 2 h occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD); 2 h LAD occlusion followed by 1 h reperfusion; 2 h LAD occlusion followed by 1 h reperfusion with administration of gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester (10 mg kg-1 just before reperfusion); 2 h LAD occlusion followed by 1 h reperfusion with administration of GSH (the reduced form of glutathione, 10 mg kg-1 just before reperfusion). 3. After occlusion or reperfusion, heart mitochondria were prepared from the normal area and the occluded or the reperfused area, and mitochondrial function (rate of oxygen consumption in State III, and respiratory control index) was measured polarographically. 4. Mitochondrial GSH and GSSG (the oxidized form of glutathione) concentrations, and activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase were measured. 5. Two h of LAD occlusion induced mitochondrial dysfunction with depletion of mitochondrial GSH concentration. One h of reperfusion after 2 h LAD occlusion induced significant mitochondrial dysfunction associated with a marked depletion of mitochondrial GSH concentration. 6. gamma-Glutamylcysteine ethyl ester reduced mitochondrial dysfunction and depletion of mitochondrial GSH concentration after 2 h LAD occlusion and 1 h reperfusion. In contrast, GSH did not prevent depletion of mitochondrial GSH concentration and mitochondrial dysfunction after 2 h LAD occlusion followed by 1 h reperfusion. 7. The activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase did not change significantly in each group. 8. One h of reperfusion after 2 h occlusion of LAD induced ventricular arrhythmias. gamma-Glutamylcysteine ethyl ester markedly reduced the development of reperfusion arrhythmias, whilst GSH showed no protective effect.9. Gamma-Glutamylcysteine ethyl ester maintained mitochondrial GSH concentration, prevented reperfusion myocardial damage, and reduced reperfusion arrhythmias.

Effects of antiarrhythmic agents classified as class III group on ischaemia-induced myocardial damage in canine hearts

1. The cardioprotective effects of antiarrhythmic agents classified as class III, amiodarone, sotalol and E-4031, were investigated in anaesthetized dogs. 2. The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 2 h. 3. Heart mitochondria were prepared from both the ischaemic and non-ischaemic areas, and their function was estimated polarographically. 4. Activities of the lysosomal enzymes, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase and beta-glucuronidase, were measured in each fraction. 5. Two hour occlusion induced ventricular arrhythmias, and amiodarone, sotalol and E-4031 greatly suppressed the development of arrhythmias. 6. Amiodarone, sotalol and E-4031 significantly protected mitochondria against ischaemia, and prevented ischaemia-induced leakage of lysosomal enzymes. 7. Antiarrhythmic agents classified as class III show cardioprotective effects, which might participate in their antiarrhythmic effect.