Efficacy and safety of nicorandil on perioperative myocardial injury in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention: results of the PENMIPCI trial

Protective or Inhibitory Effect of Pharmacological Therapy on Cardiac Ischemic Preconditioning: A Literature Review

Ischemic preconditioning (IP) is an innate phenomenon, triggered by brief, non-lethal cycles of ischemia/reperfusion applied to a tissue or organ that confers tolerance to a subsequent more prolonged ischemic event. Once started, it can reduce the severity of myocardial ischemia associated with some clinical situations, such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and intermittent aortic clamping during coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Although the mechanisms underlying IP have not been completely elucidated, several studies have shown that this phenomenon involves the participation of cell triggers, intracellular signaling pathways, and end-effectors. Understanding this mechanism enables the development of preconditioning mimetic agents. It is known that a range of medications that activate the signaling cascades at different cellular levels can interfere with both the stimulation and the blockade of IP. Investigations of signaling pathways underlying ischemic conditioning have identified a number of therapeutic targets for pharmacological manipulation. This review aims to present and discuss the effects of several medications on myocardial IP.

Nicorandil attenuates ventricular dysfunction and organ injury after cardiopulmonary bypass

BACKGROUND

Nicorandil, an adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel agonist and nitric oxide donor, is a coronary vasodilator used to treat ischemia-induced chest pain, but it's potential cardioprotective benefits during open heart surgery have not been thoroughly investigated. The study objective was to assess the impact of nicorandil on postoperative ventricular dysfunction and end-organ injury in an established experimental model of open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and cardioplegic arrest. We hypothesized that nicorandil would attenuate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, preserve ventricular function, and reduce end-organ injury.

METHODS

Rabbits were cannulated for CPB, followed by 60 min of aortic cross-clamp (ACC) with cold cardioplegic arrest, and 120 min of recovery after ACC removal. Nicorandil (or normal saline vehicle) was given intravenously 5 min before ACC and continued throughout the recovery period. Left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), systolic contractility (LV + dP/dt), and diastolic relaxation (LV -dP/dt) were continuously recorded, and blood and tissue samples were collected for measurement of oxidant stress (OS), inflammation, apoptosis, and organ injury.

RESULTS

Nicorandil significantly attenuated IR-induced LV dysfunction compared to saline control (R-120: LV + dP/dt: 1596 ± 397 vs. 514 ± 269 mmHg/s, p = 0.010; LV -dP/dt: -1524 ± 432 vs. -432 ± 243 mmHg/s, p < 0.001; LVDP: 55 ± 11 vs. 22 ± 5 mmHg, p = 0.046). Furthermore, nicorandil inhibited IR-induced increases in OS, inflammation, apoptosis, and organ injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Nicorandil exhibits myocardial protection by attenuation of IR-induced LV dysfunction associated with OS, inflammation, apoptosis, and organ injury. Nicorandil should be explored further as a potential therapeutic strategy for limiting global IR injury during open-heart surgery in humans.

The Efficacy and Safety of Nicorandil for Periprocedural Myocardial Injury in Patients Undergoing PCI: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nicorandil for periprocedural myocardial injury in patients undergoing PCI through meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Methods

We analyzed the clinical data of patients including the incidence of periprocedural myocardial injury (PMI) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) from selected articles. RCTs were retrieved from medical literature databases. RR and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to compare the endpoints.

Results

In total, 15 articles (16 trial comparisons) were retrieved which contained 2221 patients. In general, 1130 patients (50.9%) were randomized to the experimental group, whereas 1091 patients (49.1%) were randomized to the control group. The result showed that nicorandil significantly reduced the incidence of PMI and MACE after PCI compared to the control group.

Conclusions

Overall, early use of nicorandil in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was associated with a significant reduction of PMI and MACE.