Langendorff-perfused Rat Hearts (Langendorff-perfuse + rat_heart)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Post-ischaemic activation of kinases in the pre-conditioning-like cardioprotective effect of the platelet-activating factor

ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 3 2009
C. Penna
Abstract Aim:, Platelet-activating factor (PAF) triggers cardiac pre-conditioning against ischemia/reperfusion injury. The actual protection of ischaemic pre-conditioning occurs in the reperfusion phase. Therefore, we studied in this phase the kinases involved in PAF-induced pre-conditioning. Methods:, Langendorff-perfused rat hearts underwent 30 min of ischaemia and 2 h of reperfusion (group 1, control). Before ischaemia, group 2 hearts were perfused for 19 min with PAF (2 × 10,11 m); groups 3,5 hearts were co-infused during the initial 20 min of reperfusion, with the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor chelerythrine (5 × 10,6 m) or the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 (5 × 10,5 m) and atractyloside (2 × 10,5 m), a mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opener respectively. Phosphorylation of PKC,, PKB/A,t, GSK-3, and ERK1/2 at the beginning of reperfusion was also checked. Left ventricular pressure and infarct size were determined. Results:, PAF pre-treatment reduced infarct size (33 ± 4% vs. 64 ± 5% of the area at risk of control hearts) and improved pressure recovery. PAF pre-treatment enhanced the phosphorylation/activation of PKC,, PKB/A,t and the phosphorylation/inactivation of GSK-3, at reperfusion. Effects on ERK1/2 phosphorylation were not consistent. Infarct-sparing effect and post-ischaemic functional improvement induced by PAF pre-treatment were abolished by post-ischaemic infusion of either chelerythrine, LY294002 or atractyloside. Conclusions:, The cardioprotective effect exerted by PAF pre-treatment involves activation of PKC and PI3K in post-ischaemic phases and might be mediated by the prevention of mPTP opening in reperfusion via GSK-3, inactivation. [source]


Pretreatment with insulin before ischaemia reduces infarct size in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts

ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 2 2009
B. N. Fuglesteg
Abstract Aim:, To compare the possible role of Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in mediating cardioprotection against ischaemia under three different conditions: (1) During ischaemic preconditioning (IPC), (2) when insulin was given as a pretreatment agent (InsPC) and (3) when insulin was given as a reperfusion cell survival agent (InsR). Methods:, Isolated perfused rat hearts were subjected to IPC (3 × 5 min) or InsPC (50 mU mL,1; 3 × 5 min), before 30 min of regional ischaemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion ± 1L-6-hydroxymethyl- chiro -inositol-2 - [(R)-2- O -methyl-3- O -octadecylcarbonate] (HIMO) (20 ,m; Akt inhibitor) or rapamycin (1 nm; mTOR inhibitor). In addition, insulin (3 mU mL,1) was given at the onset of reperfusion, ±HIMO or rapamycin. Risk zone (R) and infarct size (I) were determined with Evans blue and tetrazolium staining respectively. Western blot analysis was performed on tissue from Langendorff-perfused rat hearts and cell lysates from cultured HL1 cells. Results:, IPC, InsPC and InsR treatment resulted in a significant reduction in infarct size compared to controls (all P < 0.05). This protective effect of IPC and insulin was abolished by the inhibitors. However, the putative Akt inhibitor, although capable of abolishing cardioprotection induced by insulin, was not able to inhibit insulin-induced phosphorylation of Akt in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts and cultured HL1 cells. The target for this compound therefore remains to be determined. Conclusion:, IPC and insulin (either as InsPC or InsR) appear to activate mTOR, and this kinase seems to play an essential role in cardioprotection against ischaemia and reperfusion injury as rapamycin blocked the protection. [source]


Effect of Cl, channel blockers on aconitine-induced arrhythmias in rat heart

EXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2005
Shi-Sheng Zhou
The effects of Cl, channel blockers 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB) and niflumic acid (NFA) on aconitine-induced arrhythmias were investigated. Left ventricular pressure and electrocardiogram were monitored in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts. Whole-cell patch-clamp and current-clamp techniques were used to measure sodium current (INa) and action potential (AP), respectively, in single rat cardiac ventricular myocytes. Addition of the Na+ channel agonist aconitine (0.1 ,m) to the perfusion solution produced polymorphic ventricular arrhythmias with a latent period of 25.5 ± 6.3 s. NPPB could reverse aconitine-induced arrhythmias. A similar effect was observed by using NFA. NPPB and NFA reversibly depressed the upstroke of the AP in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 values of ,12.3 and ,73.1 ,m, respectively, without significantly affecting the resting potential of rat ventricular myocytes. Both Cl, channel blockers inhibited INa and induced a leftward shift of the steady-state inactivation of INa. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that NPPB as well as NFA can suppress aconitine-induced arrhythmias in rat hearts mainly by inhibiting cardiac INa. [source]