Does selenium exert cardioprotective effects against oxidative stress in myocardial ischemia?

In the mid-1960s, a small number of scientists postulated the role of oxidative stress and oxygen-derived free radicals in the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying ischemic heart disease. However, because of the technical difficulty of measuring free radicals and quantitating oxidative damage, it was very difficult to prove that free radicals could contribute to cell pathology. The role of oxidative stress in biological systems was not definitely recognized until the early 1980s when measurement of short-lived oxygen-derived reactive species was made possible by the advent of sophisticated techniques such as EPR spectroscopy or fluorescent probes. These enabled both the study of free radical biochemistry and the acquisition of useful information about the nature and consequences of free radical-induced protein and lipid oxidation. The hypothesis that reactive oxygen species mediate cellular damage produced upon reperfusion of ischemic myocardium has gained considerable support during the past 10-15 years. Several experimental studies indicated that the administration of antioxidant enzymes or non-enzymatic antioxidants offers a significant degree of protection against ischemic damage, improving functional recovery and reducing morphological alterations to cardiomyocytes. In this context, selenium, as an essential component of glutathione peroxidase, plays a critical role in protecting aerobic tissues from oxygen radical-initiated cell injury.

Cardiac toxicity of singlet oxygen: implication in reperfusion injury.

Oxygen-derived free radicals (O2.-, H2O2, and .OH) that are produced during postischemic reperfusion are currently suspected to be involved in the pathogenesis of tissue injury. Another reactive oxygen species, the electronically excited molecular oxygen (1O2), is of increasing interest in the area of experimental research in cardiology. In this review are discussed the main potential sources of singlet oxygen in the organism, particularly in the myocardium, the various cardiovascular cytotoxic effects induced by this reactive oxygen intermediate, and the growing evidence of its involvement in ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Role of reactive oxygen species in cardiac preconditioning: study with photoactivated Rose Bengal in isolated rat hearts.

UNLABELLED: Oxygen radical scavengers have been shown to prevent the development of ischemic preconditioning, suggesting that reactive oxygen species (ROS) might be involved in this phenomenon. In the present study, we have investigated whether direct exposure to ROS produced by photoactivated Rose Bengal (RB) could mimic the protective effects of ischemic preconditioning. METHODS: In vitro generation of ROS from photoactivated RB in a physiological buffer was first characterised by ESR spectroscopy in the presence of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidone (oxoTEMP) or 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO). In a second part of the study, isolated rat hearts were exposed for 2.5 min to photoactivated RB. After 5 min washout, hearts underwent 30 min no-flow normothermic ischemia followed by 30 min of reperfusion. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The production of singlet oxygen (1O2) by photoactivated RB in the perfusion medium was evidenced by the ESR detection of the nitroxyl radical oxoTEMPO. Histidine completely inhibited oxoTEMPO formation. In addition, the use of DMPO has indicated that (i) superoxide anions (O2*-) are produced directly and (ii) hydroxyl radicals (HO*) are formed indirectly from the successive O2*- dismutation and the Fenton reaction. In the perfusion experiments, myocardial post-ischemic recovery was dramatically impaired in hearts previously exposed to the ROS produced by RB photoactivation (1O2, O2*-, H2O2 and HO*) as well as when 1O2 was removed by histidine (50 mM) addition. However, functional recovery was significantly improved when hearts were exposed to photoactivated RB in presence of superoxide dismutase (10(5) IU/L) and catalase (10(6) IU/L). Further studies are now required to determine whether the cardioprotective effects of Rose Bengal in presence of O2*- and H2O2 scavengers are due to singlet oxygen or to other species produced by Rose Bengal degradation.

Manganese reduces myocardial reperfusion injury on isolated rat heart.

It has been shown that reactive oxygen species produced during the early phase of myocardial post-ischemic reperfusion are one of the main causes of reperfusion injury. This observation has led to various antioxidant strategies using many reactive oxygen species scavengers, including manganese complexes. The aim of the present work was to provide a reference study of the effects of manganese itself (MnCl2) on isolated rat hearts submitted to global total normothermic ischemia (30 min) and reperfusion (60 min). McCl2 was administered either during the first 10 min reperfusion (10(-5)M and 10(-4)M) or throughout reperfusion (10(-4)M). After 10 min reperfusion, no functional difference was evidenced between control and manganese-treated groups, whereas high energy phosphate contents were significantly higher in treated groups. MnCl2 10(-4)M enhanced the recovery of developed pressure between 40 and 55 min reperfusion. At the end of reperfusion, hearts treated during the first 10 min reperfusion showed a better metabolic recovery. The group treated throughout reperfusion showed a better metabolic recovery, but a reduced coronary flow and a weak recovery of developed pressure. These results suggest that MnCl2, administered during the early phase of reperfusion, protects against myocardial reperfusion injury. This effect might be mediated by manganese antioxidant properties.

Free radicals in reperfusion-induced arrhythmias: study with EUK 8, a novel nonprotein catalytic antioxidant.

Oxyradicals have been implicated as a possible cause of postischemic reperfusion arrhythmias (RA). However, the ability of enzymatic scavengers such as superoxide dismutase and/or catalase to reduce RA remains controversial. The purpose of the present work was to determine whether a nonprotein catalytic antioxidant, EUK 8, may limit RA in isolated heart preparations. The catalytic dismutation of H2O2 by EUK 8 was demonstrated using a Clark electrode. EUK 8's ability to scavenge oxyradicals was studied in vitro by electron spin resonance (ESR) in presence of superoxide-anion generating system. ESR concentration-effect curves obtained led us to use EUK 8 at 50 mumol/l in isolated heart preparations. Isolated rat hearts were submitted to 10 min regional ischemia induced by left coronary artery ligation. Reperfusion was achieved by releasing the coronary ligation, and the incidence and duration of early ventricular arrhythmias were then investigated. In the treated-group, EUK 8 was added to the perfusion fluid (50 mumol/l) 90 s before reperfusion. Our results show that EUK 8 significantly reduced the severity of RA as assessed by the arrhythmia score measurement (control: 3.46 +/- 0.21 vs. EUK 8: 2.73 +/- 0.27, p < .05). In conclusion, EUK 8 is able to limit RA in our experimental model. This effect might be related to the catalytic antioxidant properties of this complex.

Effects of trimetazidine on ischemic contracture in isolated perfused rat hearts.

Trimetazidine (1-[2,3,4-trimethoxibenzyl)]-piperazine, TMZ) is a drug with a proposed metabolically based antiischemic action. Because ischemic contracture is a serious complication of ischemia and is considered metabolic in origin, we studied the effect of trimetazidine (TMZ) on development of ischemic contracture in experimental low-flow ischemia. TMZ was either added to the perfusion fluid or given as pretreatment to the donor rats. Langendorff-perfused isolated rat hearts were submitted to 30-min subtotal global ischemia (residual flow = 0.2 ml/min, n = 6 per group) (normal flow = 12.4 +/- 0.8 ml/min, heart fresh weight = 0.9 +/- 0.3 g). Ischemic contracture was measured by a water-filled intraventricular balloon. Thereafter, the hearts were reperfused for 20 min and recovery of intraventricular pressure was monitored. Furthermore, because the mechanisms of action of TMZ may involve cellular energy metabolism, we assessed throughout glycolytic flux by collecting the coronary effluent every 5 min during control perfusion, ischemia, and reperfusion periods. Animals from the pretreated groups received TMZ [3 mg/kg orally (p.o.) twice daily] for 5 days. Animals from the control group received placebo for the same time period. Concentrations of 10(-6) and 10(-4) M were used when the drug was added to the perfusate. In our experimental conditions, TMZ pretreatment alone had no measurable cardioprotective effect, but addition to the perfusate of TMZ 10(-6) M, approximately a therapeutic concentration in humans, reduced ischemic contracture in both pretreated and control groups and improved postischemic recovery of developed pressure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Beneficial effect of indapamide in experimental myocardial ischemia.

Indapamide, a nonthiazide chlorosulfamoyl diuretic, which possesses well-known antihypertensive properties, is able to scavenge free radical intermediates involved in lipid peroxidation. In this respect, it has almost the same level of action as alpha-tocopherol. Using an isolated working rat heart preparation, we investigated the effect of indapamide on the myocardial resistance to global total normothermic ischemia followed by reperfusion. The heart, isolated at the end of chronic oral pretreatment (7 day at 3 mg/kg body weight/day), was submitted to ischemia for 15 min and then reperfused. The main results were as follows: in the indapamide-treated group, 1) postischemic recovery of cardiac function was significantly better as compared to the untreated control group; 2) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release measured after 15 min of reperfusion was significantly reduced; 3) the myocardial content of organic hydroperoxides (HPO), taken as an index of lipid peroxidation, was significantly lowered, whereas the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) remained unchanged; and 4) electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis of coronary effluents, collected during the first minutes of reperfusion in the presence of the spin-trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO), revealed a significant modification in the treated group. These findings suggest that indapamide treatment is able to afford some protective effect to cardiac tissue during the early stage of postischemic reperfusion, and that this effect might be related to the antioxidant properties of inadapamide.