Myocardial infarction (MI) injury extends from the endocardium towards the epicardium. This phenomenon should be taken into consideration in the detection of MI. To study the extent of damage at different stages of MI, we hypothesized that measurement of layer-specific strain will allow better delineation of the MI extent than ...

BACKGROUND: Thrombopoietin (TPO) protects against heart damages by doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in animal models. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of TPO for treatment of myocardial infarction (MI) in a rat model and explored the mechanisms in terms of the genome-wide transcriptional profile, TPO downstream protein signals, and bone marrow ...

BACKGROUND: To compare the effect of δ-opioid receptor agonist, d-Ala2-d-Leu5 enkephalin (DADLE) with normothermic control and therapeutic hypothermia on post resuscitation myocardial function in a model of extracorporeal life support (ECLS). METHODS: Ventricular fibrillation (VF) was induced in male Wistar rats. After 10min of untreated VF, venoarterial ECLS was instituted ...

Human amniotic epithelial cells (h-AECs), which have various merits as a cell source for cell therapy, are known to differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vitro. However, the ability of h-AECs to differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vivo, and their cell transplantation effects on myocardial infarction, are still unknown. In this study, we ...

Myocardial reperfusion following ischemia may paradoxically cause additional injury, including microvascular damage and edema. These structural alterations augment tissue echogenicity, which is measurable by ultrasonic integrated backscatter (IB). We sought to characterize alterations in myocardial IB in an ischemic and reperfused region of the rat heart. Myocardial IB of the ...

During tissue healing, the primary role of myofibroblasts involves the synthesis and deposition of collagen. However, it has also been reported that selective populations of myofibroblasts can acquire the phenotype and/or differentiate to other cells types. The present study tested the hypothesis that myofibroblasts isolated from the scar of the ...

Placement of an elastic biodegradable patch onto a subacute myocardial infarct (MI) provides temporary elastic support that may act to effectively alter adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling processes. Two weeks after permanent left coronary ligation in Lewis rats, the infarcted anterior wall was covered with polyester urethane urea (MI + PEUU; n = ...

The objective of this study was to determine the early echocardiographic predictors of elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) after a long follow-up period in the infarcted rat model. Five days and three months after surgery, sham and infarcted animals were subjected to transthoracic echocardiography. Regression analysis and receiver-operating characteristic ...

Electrophysiological properties of implanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in infarcted hearts remain unclear, and their proarrhythmic effect is still controversial. The intent of this study was to investigate electrophysiological properties and proarrhythmic effects of MSCs in infarcted hearts. Rats were randomly divided into a myocardial infarction (MI) group, a MI-DMEM ...

A classical paper published by Michael Barany almost 50 years ago demonstrated a tight correlation between the mechanical parameter of maximal velocity of shortening and the biochemical parameter of myosin ATPase activity in a wide spectrum of species. Here, we review the determinants of muscle dynamics by mechanical load and the ...

GLP-1(7-36)amide (GLP-1) is an intestinal hormone with effects on glucose metabolism and feeding behavior, including insulinotropic, insulinomimetic, glucagonostatic and anorectic actions. In experimental settings, GLP-1 has also been shown to diminish infarct size following heart ischemia-reperfusion. GLP-1 analogs with extended half-lives are continuously being developed against type 2 diabetes mellitus. ...

We previously reported the administration of a potent cytochrome P450 inhibitor, sulfaphenazole (SPZ), to suppress oxidative stress and the extension of myocardial infarct size in a rat model of cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of SPZ on the myocardial cell apoptosis induced ...

AimsBiochemical marker testing has improved the evaluation and management of patients with cardiovascular diseases over the past decade. Natriuretic peptides (NPs), used in clinical practice to assess cardiac dysfunction, exhibit many limitations, however. We used an unbiased proteomics approach for the discovery of novel diagnostic plasma biomarkers of heart failure ...

Several reports highlighted the cardioprotective effect of statins after different types of ischemic injury. We studied the effect of rosuvastatin on acute myocardial infarction induced experimentally in rats focusing on angiogenesis as a potential mechanism underlying the drug effect. Acute myocardial infarction was induced by injecting the rats with two ...

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that erythromycin (EM), a major macrolide antibiotic, has many biological functions in addition to the anti-bacterial actions, including anti-inflammatory and free radical scavenging actions. However, the effects of the drug upon inflammatory myocardial diseases are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that EM ameliorates experimental autoimmune myocarditis ...

Mid-thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with enhanced sympathetic support of heart rate as well as myocardial damage related to calcium overload. The myocardial damage may elicit an enhanced sympathetic support of contractility to maintain ventricular function. In contrast, the level of inotropic drive may be reduced to match ...

BACKGROUND: The authors investigated the cardioprotection afforded by postconditioning with intravenous infusion of emulsified isoflurane in a rat model in vivo and determined the role of Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway in such procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were subjected to a 30-min coronary artery occlusion ...

The renin angiotensin system (RAS) is activated after myocardial infarction (MI), and RAS blockade with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) slows but does not completely prevent progression to heart failure. Cardiac ACE is increased after MI and leads to the formation of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin ...

BACKGROUND: There has been controversy over whether a short period of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to defibrillation improves survival in patients who experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. However, there have been no reports about whether CPR restores the myocardial energy source during prolonged ventricular fibrillation (VF). The aim of this ...

Resuscitation from cardiac arrest is partly limited by progressive reduction in left ventricular distensibility, leading to decreased hemodynamic efficacy of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Reduction in left ventricular distensibility has been linked to loss of mitochondrial bioenergetic function that can result from oxidative injury. Attenuation of oxidative injury by administration of ...

BACKGROUND:: Aldosterone antagonists (AA) have beneficial effects on ventricular histological and electrical remodeling and improve noradrenaline uptake. Adding an AA to a beta-blocker (BB) further improves cardiac mortality in heart failure (HF) patients. We investigated if adjunction of a BB modifies beneficial effects of spironolactone on different parameters of the ...

Abstract The present study was designed to investigate the effect of ginsenoside Rh1 on myocardial injury and heart function in isoproterenol-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were subcutaneously injected with isoproterenol (20 mg/kg). Cardiac marker enzymes in serum, antioxidative parameters and inflammatory cytokines in left ventricles were measured. Hemodynamic parameters ...

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in mediating both the necrotic and apoptotic components of reperfusion injury. Because mitochondrial swelling is one of the most important indicators of the beginning of mitochondrial permeability transition, quantification of morphological changes in mitochondria would be useful in evaluating the degree of IR injury, ...

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have showed that pretreatment with short episode spinal cord stimulation (SCS) could reduce myocardial infarct size after transient anterior coronary artery occlusion. The aim of this study was to investigate whether continuous SCS could also provide protection against cardiac ischaemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. METHODS: After pre-implantation of stimulating ...

Background: 'Conditioning' [ischemic preconditioning (IPC), ischemic postconditioning (IPO) and remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC)] the heart to render it more resistant to an episode of acute myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is an endogenous cardioprotective strategy. There are several mechanisms proposed for 'conditioning', such as endogenous mediators or cytoprotective proteins. In recent ...

ABSTRACT: Although Kaempferia parviflora extract (KPE) and its flavonoids have positive effects on the nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway, its mechanisms on the heart are still unclear. Since our previous studies demonstrated that KPE decreased defibrillation efficacy in swine similar to that of sildenafil citrate, the phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, it is ...

Considering from clinical implication, it is often complained that short-term experimental diseased heart models do not mimic long-term diseased hearts that one often clinically encountered. The left ventricle (LV) function in rat cardiac hypertrophy models treated with isoproterenol (ISO) up to 16 weeks was followed up with a non-invasive echocardiography. ...

We have demonstrated that activation of ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels can attenuate sympathetic hyperinnervation. Sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, has been shown to provide a preconditioning-like cardioprotective effect via opening of K(ATP) channels. The aim of this study was to investigate whether chronic administration of sildenafil attenuates cardiac sympathetic hyperinnervation after ...

In this study, an injectable, biodegradable hydrogel composite of oligo[poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate] (OPF) was investigated as a carrier of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) for the treatment of myocardial infarction (MI). The OPF hydrogels were used to encapsulate mESCs. The cell differentiation in vitro over 14 days was determined via ...

Contractile cardiomyocytes in various parts of the heart differ in shape, size, ploidy, and other parameters. However, it is not known whether their population is heterogeneous within each heart chamber. In this paper, dry weight and ploidy of cardiomyocytes were estimated in different parts of rat left ventricle. It was ...

Inflammation plays a pivotal role in cardiac remodeling, especially in myocardial fibrosis. Abnormal growth of cardiac fibroblasts is critically involved in the pathophysiology of cardiac hypertrophy/remodeling. Previous study has demonstrated that many inflammation stimulating factors trigger transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) induction and reactive myocardial fibrosis. Activin A (ACT A) is ...

The development of adjunctive therapies which attenuate adverse remodeling and improve LV function post myocardial infarction (MI) is of significant clinical interest. Previously, we have shown that targeted delivery of therapeutic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to the infarct border zone significantly increases vascular perfusion and results in improvements in ...

PURPOSE: Bioactive NO carriers in circulating blood formed during NO inhalation selectively distribute blood flow to areas in need, and may thus improve collateral perfusion to the area-at-risk in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Here, we tested the hypothesis that NO inhalation during the ischemic phase of AMI may improve left ...

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of chronic treatment with c-AUCB {cis-4-[4-(3-adamantan-1-ylureido)cyclohexyl-oxy]benzoic acid}, a novel inhibitor of sEH (soluble epoxide hydrolase), which is responsible for the conversion of biologically active EETs (epoxyeicosatrienoic acids) into biologically inactive DHETEs (dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids), on BP (blood pressure) and myocardial infarct size ...

Telocytes (TC) are a class of interstitial cells present in heart. Their characteristic feature is the presence of extremely long and thin prolongations (called telopodes). Therefore, we were interested to see whether or not TCs form networks in normal cardiac tissues, as previously suggested. Autopsy samples of cardiac tissues were ...

BACKGROUND: -Regression of left ventricular mass with nocturnal hemodialysis (NHD) has been observed. The influence of NHD on myocardial mechanics and cardiomyocyte gene expression is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: -42 patients (30M:12F, age: 44 ± 12 years (mean ± SD)) with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were followed for 3.1 ± ...

BACKGROUND: Poloxamer-188 (P-188) is a biological membrane sealant that prevents the unregulated entry of Ca into cardiomyocytes and has been shown to have the ability to act as a membrane-repair agent in isolated cardiac myocytes. The purpose of this study was to determine if treatment with P-188 would improve left ...

Focal cerebral ischemia induces cellular responses that may result in secondary tissue damage. We recently demonstrated multi-facetted spatial and temporal patterns of neuroinflammation by multimodal imaging. In the present study, we especially focus on the separation of vital and necrotic tissue, which enabled us to define a demarcation zone. Focal ...

Background: Sudden cardiac death is higher among schizophrenic patients and is associated with parasympathetic hypoactivity. Antipsychotic agents are highly suspected to be a precipitating factor. Thus, we aimed to test if the antipsychotics haloperidol, risperidone and clozapine affect cardiac autonomic function, excluding the confounding effect of altered sleep structure by ...

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to elucidate the relationship between sex difference and norepinephrine (NE) release in the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Isolated male and female rat hearts were subjected to 40-minute global ischemia followed by 30-minute reperfusion. Compared with male hearts, I/R-induced cardiac dysfunction such ...

BACKGROUND: /st>Neural growth factor (NGF) is required for healing and sprouting of cardiac sympathetic and sensory nerves and plays important roles in cardiac protection, sustaining cardiac function and regeneration in ischaemic heart disease. The overexpression or lack of the NGF could be harmful to the heart. In this study, we ...

PURPOSES: We determined whether a small molecule inhibitor of an apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1-i) could reduce myocardial infarct size in a rat ischemia/reperfusion model. METHODS: and Results: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to 3 groups: ASK1-i infusion (n=16), vehicle infusion (n=16), or ischemic preconditioning (IPC; n=15). Infusion of ASK1-i (10 ...

Anthracycline chemotherapy produces cardiac repolarization abnormalities and arrhythmias because of cardiac toxicity of drugs. Ventricular arrhythmogenesis is attributable to increase in repolarization heterogeneity that is characterized by spatial dispersion of repolarization. The purpose of this work was to study the delayed effects of doxorubicin, the most frequently used anthracycline, on ...

AIMS: The aim of this work was to use hyperpolarized carbon-13 ((13)C) magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy and cine MR imaging to assess in vivo cardiac metabolism and function in the 15 week old Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) heart. At this time point the SHR displays hypertension and concentric hypertrophy. One ...

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs ) transplantation has been reported to be a promising therapy for myocardial infarction (MI). However, low survival rate of BM-MSCs in infarcted heart is one of the major limitations for the perspective clinical application. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of ...

ABSTRCT: Previous studies have shown that PI3K/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a vital role in ischemic preconditioning. The present study attempts to evaluate whether PI3K/ GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling pathway might be responsible for the cardioprotection in ischemic postconditioning. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 30 min of left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion and ...

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells/silk fibroin/hyaluronic acid (BMSC/SH) patches were implanted into myocardial infarction (MI) rat hearts to investigate the efficacies of them on enhancing left ventricular (LV) remodeling and cardiac repair. 45 rats were divided into four groups: Sham, MI (MI hearts, induced by a cryo-injury technique), SH and ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Trichostatin A (TSA) is a potent histone deacetylase inhibitor and widely used as a promising anticancer agent. Recently, a novel insight for TSA has been shown to protect the heart from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The purpose of this study ...

Syndecan-4 (synd4) is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, involved in repair following tissue damage, through modulating neovascularization and inflammation. In acute myocardial infarction its myocardial expression is up-regulated in a time-dependent manner, and in synd4-deficient mice severe cardiac dysfunction and abnormal remodeling are observed following induction of myocardial infarction. Here we ...

Sufentanil, with a potent analgesia effect, has been wildly used in anesthesia and analgesia, especially for the cardiovascular surgeries. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether sufentanil provides cardioprotection and the effect of connexin 43 on the cardiac infarct size reduction. Sufentanil post-conditioning (bolus injection at 0.1, 0.3, ...