Beneficial effect of beraprost, a prostacyclin-mimetic agent, on post-hypoxic recovery of cardiac function and metabolism in rabbit isolated hearts

Roles of prostaglandin I(2) and thromboxane A(2) in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury: a study using mice lacking their respective receptors

BACKGROUND

Prostaglandin (PG) I(2) and thromboxane (TX) A(2), the most common prostanoids in the cardiovascular system, are produced abundantly during cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R); their roles in I/R injury, however, remain undetermined. We intended to clarify these roles of PGI(2) and TXA(2) using mice lacking the PGI(2) receptor, IP(-/-) mice, or the TXA(2) receptor, TP(-/-) mice.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 1 hour and then reperfused for 24 hours. The size of myocardial infarct in IP(-/-) mice was significantly larger than that in wild-type mice, although the size of the area at risk was similar between the 2 groups of mice. In contrast, there was no such difference between TP(-/-) and wild-type mice. To further determine whether PGI(2) and TXA(2) act directly on the cardiac tissue or indirectly through their action on blood constituents, we perfused excised heart according to the Langendorff technique. The isolated heart was then subjected to global ischemia followed by reperfusion. In IP(-/-) mice, developed tension and coronary flow rate during reperfusion were significantly lower and release of creatine kinase was significantly higher than those in wild-type mice. There were no such differences, however, between TP(-/-) and wild-type mice.

CONCLUSIONS

PGI(2), which was produced endogenously during cardiac I/R, exerts a protective effect on cardiomyocytes independent of its effects on platelets and neutrophils. In contrast, TXA(2) has little role in the cardiac I/R injury.

Increased islet viability by addition of beraprost sodium to collagenase solution

The digestion of pancreatic tissue with collagenase is an essential part of the islet isolation procedure. However, the process exposes islets to various types of harmful factors, including collagenase contaminants, enzymes released from the acinar cells, warm ischemia, and mechanical agitation. Nitrogen oxide production and cytokine release may also contribute to islet cell damage. Protection of islets from such damage would improve the islet yield, survival, and function. Beraprost sodium (BPS) is a prostaglandin I2 analogue, is stable in aqueous solution, and has a cytoprotective effect on various types of cells. BPS has been shown to improve the yield and function of cryopreserved and/or cultured islets. These findings prompted us to examine its cytoprotective effect on islets during the islet isolation process. Canine islets were isolated by means of a two-step digestion method and purified on Euro-Ficoll density gradient solutions (the procedure used for human islets). BPS at a concentration of 100 nM was added to the collagenase solution. After purification, the islet yield was 434,561 +/- 35.691 islet number expressed as 150 microm equivalent size (IEQ)/pancreas or 8,799 +/- 345 IEQ/g of pancreas in the BPS group and 349,987 +/- 52,887 IEQ/pancreas or 7,998 +/-1610 IEQ/g of pancreas in the control group (n = 8, each). The percent viability was 88.5 +/- 0.7% in the BPS group and 82.0 +/-0.9% in the control group (P < 0.01). Therefore, the recovery of viable islets (calculated by islet number x % viability) was 384,586 +/- 46,804 IEQ/pancreas (7,743 IEQ/g) in the BPS group and 286,989 +/- 43,367 IEQ/pancreas (6,558 IEQ/g) in the control group (P < 0.02). After culture, significantly higher numbers of islets were also recovered in the BPS group than in the control group. The islet insulin content was significantly higher in the BPS group than controls (237.8 +/- 38.5 versus 92.3 +/- 25.6 microU/IEQ; P < 0.02), although islets of both groups responded with high stimulation indices (>6). These results indicate that the addition of BPS to the collagenase solution increases the recovery of viable islets, and improves beta cell function.

Improvement of exercise capacity of rats with chronic heart failure by long-term treatment with trandolapril

1. The effects of long-term treatment with trandolapril, an angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor, on exercise capacity of rats with chronic heart failure (CHF) following coronary artery ligation were examined. CHF was developed by 8 weeks after the coronary artery ligation. 2. The running time of rats with CHF in the treadmill test was shortened to approximately 65% of that of sham-operated rats (16.3+/-1.2 vs. 25.1+/-1.6 min, n = 7; P<0.05). ATP, creatine phosphate (CP), and lactate contents of the gracilis muscle of rats with CHF were similar to those of sham-operated rats before running. After running, ATP and CP were decreased and lactate was increased in both rats with CHF and sham-operated rats. There were no significant differences in the levels of energy metabolites between rats with CHF and sham-operated rats. The rates of decrease in ATP and CP and rate of increase in lactate in the gracilis muscle of rats with CHF during exercise were greater than those of sham operated rats (2.5, 2.0 and 1.5 fold high, respectively), suggesting wastage of energy during exercise in the animals with CHF. 3. Myofibrillar Ca2+ -stimulated ATPase (Ca-ATPase) activity of skeletal muscle of rats with CHF was increased over that of the sham-operated control (62.03+/-1.88 vs. 52.34+/-1.19 micromol Pi mg(-1) protein h(-1) n = 7; P<0.05). The compositions of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms of gracilis muscle were altered by CHF; decreases in MHC types I and IIb and an increase in MHC type IIa were found (P<0.05). 4. Rats with CHF were treated with 1 mg kg(-1) day(-1) trandolapril from the 2nd to 8th week after surgery. Treatment with trandolapril prolonged the running time, reversed the rates of decrease in ATP and CP and the rate of increase in lactate, and restored the Ca-ATPase activity (51.11+/-0.56 micromol Pi mg(-1) protein h(-1), n = 7; P<0.05) and composition ratio of MHC isoforms in the gracilis muscle. 5. The results suggest that long-term trandolapril treatment of rats with CHF may restore their ability to utilize energy without wastage and thus improve exercise capacity.

Effects of beraprost on the transmembrane potentials of guinea-pig ventricular muscles during normoxia and hypoxia-reoxygenation

1. The present study was performed to determine whether beraprost, a new stable analogue of prostacyclin, may exert beneficial effects on the transmembrane action potentials during normoxia and hypoxia-reoxygenation in isolated right ventricular muscles of the guinea-pig. 2. Under normal oxygenation, beraprost (0.01-100 mumol-1) had no effects on the electrophysiological parameters. 3. Hypoxic conditions induced a decrease in action potential duration (APD) without affecting other action potential parameters. Beraprost inhibited this hypoxia-induced decrease in APD. However, beraprost had no effect on the decrease in contractile force induced by hypoxia, whereas it significantly improved the recovery of contractile force after reoxygenation. 4. Pinacidil-induced shortening of APD was not antagonized by beraprost. 5. Hypoxia significantly decreased the myocardial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level, which was also prevented by beraprost. 6. These results suggested that beraprost may inhibit the hypoxia-induced shortening of APD by some mechanisms which contribute to the maintenance of muscle ATP level.