We evaluated the use of body weight (BW) loss soon after acute myocardial infarction (MI) in rats as a marker of acute heart failure (HF). Female Wistar rats (200-240 g) were submitted either to sham operation or to coronary artery occlusion. In individual cages, daily BW and food and water ...

Background: Inhibiting mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening is a key protection of the myocardium from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Here, we investigated age-associated differences in the ability of cyclosporine A (CsA) to protect the heart and to modulate mPTP opening during I/R injury in vivo and its opening induced by ...

BACKGROUND: Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) has been reported as an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease; however it is not clear regarding the action of HHcy on the homing of cardiac stem cells (CSCs) to the damaged myocardium and the consequent CSCs-mediated cardiac repair post myocardial infarction. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats ...

Hydrogen sulphide has been identified as a gas signalling molecule in the body, and has previously been shown to have vasorelaxant properties. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS), a hydrogen sulphide donor, on heart rate (HR), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) and ...

Patients with diabetes show enhanced susceptibility to myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. Epidemiological studies indicated that consumption of α-linolenic acid (ALA) significantly reduces the risk of cardiac events in post-acute myocardial infarction patients. The present study attempted to investigate the effects of ALA intake on MI/R injury in normal and diabetic ...

Blood serum was from 12-month-old Wistar rats with experimental myocardial infarction caused by occlusion of the upper third of the left coronary artery was analyzed. The content of conjugated dienes by the 45th day after primary experimental myocardial infarction returned to normal and did not differ from that in intact ...

In vitro application of pulsatile electrical stimulation to neonatal rat cardiomyocytes cultured on polymer scaffolds has been shown to improve the functional assembly of cells into contractile engineered cardiac tissues. However, to date, the conditions of electrical stimulation have not been optimized. We have systematically varied the electrode material, amplitude ...

Coronary artery disease is a global health concern in the present day with limited therapies. Extensive efforts have been devoted to find molecular therapies to enhance perfusion and function of the ischemic myocardium. Aim of the present study was to look into the effects of insulin like growth factor -1 ...

This study aimed to investigate whether previous exercise training could prevent or attenuate acute cardiac alterations after myocardial infarction. Female rats were submitted to swim training (1 h/day; 5 days/week) or allowed to remain sedentary for 8 weeks. Afterwards, they were randomly assigned to left coronary artery occlusion or sham ...

Postconditioning (PostC) inhibits myocardial apoptosis after ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. The JAK2-STAT3 pathway has anti-apoptotic effects and plays an essential role in the late protection of preconditioning. Our aim was to investigate the anti-apoptotic effect of PostC after prolonged reperfusion and the role of the JAK2-STAT3 pathway in the anti-apoptotic effect ...

Microtubules are important components of the cytoskeleton that forms the backbone of myocardial architecture, sustaining its form and size. This study investigated whether stabilizing microtubules with paclitaxel (0.1 or 1 μM) could decrease myocardial ischaemia- reperfusion injury, and reduce myocardial infarct size and the incidence of ischaemic ventricular arrhythmia. Isolated ...

Electrical remodeling at infarct border zone has been shown to contribute to the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction (MI). Electrical remodeling is causally associated with sympathetic neural remodeling in MI. Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A), a potent neural chemorepellent for sympathetic axons, has been demonstrated to suppress sympathetic neural remodeling ...

Although statins impart a number of cardiovascular benefits, whether statin therapy during the peri-infarct period improves subsequent myocardial structure and function remains unclear. Thus, we evaluated the effects of atorvastatin on cardiac function, remodeling, fibrosis, and apoptosis after myocardial infarction (MI). Two groups of rats were subjected to permanent coronary ...

Acute myocardial ischemia results in scar formation with ventricular dilatation and eventually heart failure. Placental growth factor (PlGF) is reported to stimulate angiogenesis and improve cardiac function. In this study, it was hypothesized that intramyocardial injection of PlGF contained in nanoparticles can be released at the site of action for ...

The cardioprotective effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and analogs have been previously reported. We tested the hypothesis that albiglutide, a novel long half-life analog of GLP-1, may protect the heart against I/R injury by increasing carbohydrate utilization and improving cardiac energetic efficiency. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with albiglutide and subjected ...

Integrin linked kinase (ILK), as an important component of mechanical stretch sensor, can initiate cellular signaling response in the heart when cardiac preload increases. Previous work demonstrated increased ILK expression could induce angiogenesis to improved heart function after MI. However the patholo-physiological role of ILK in cardiac remodeling after MI ...

Low thyroid hormone (TH) function has been linked to impaired coronary blood flow, reduced density of small arterioles, and heart failure. Nonetheless, little is known about the mechanisms by which THs regulate coronary microvascular remodeling. The current study examined the initial cellular events associated with coronary remodeling induced by triiodothyronine ...

To determine the effect of atorvastatin on rat heart failure after myocardial infarction and to investigate the underlying mechanism of atorvastatin-mediated myocardium protection. Thirty-eight rats were randomly divided into three groups: a heart failure model group (model group), a heart failure plus atorvastatin treatment group (atorvastatin group) and a sham-surgery ...

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) contributes to cardiac ventricular remodeling because migration of inflammatory cells and attenuation of extracellular matrix degradation are caused by plasmin and matrix metalloproteinase. However, the roles of PAI-1 in myocardial ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury and the following inflammatory response have not yet been well elucidated. To ...

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) has been reported to play an important role in ischemia reperfusion injury and ischemic preconditioning (IPC). However, its role is not completely understood. Recently, normothermic IPC (NIPC), hyperthermic IPC (HIPC), preconditioning (PC) with 17-beta estradiol (estrogen, E2) and E2 pretreatment were proven to be effective in ...

The aim of the present study was to look into the possible protective effects of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) against isoproterenol-induced acute myocardial infarction in Sprague-Dawley rats. The effect of three doses of glycyrrhizic acid in response to isoproterenol (ISO)-induced changes in 8-isoprostane, lipid hydroperoxides, super oxide dismutase and total glutathione ...

Anthracyclines, most powerful anticancer agents, suffer from their cardiotoxic effects, which may be due to the induction of oxidative stress. Carvedilol, a third-generation, nonselective β-adrenoreceptor antagonist, possesses both reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and ROS suppressive effects. It showed protective effects against daunorubicin- (DNR-) induced cardiac toxicity by reducing oxidative ...

Diabetes mellitus is associated with decreased NO bioavailability in the myocardium. Ginsenoside Rb1 has been shown to confer cardioprotection against ischemia reperfusion injury. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Ginsenoside Rb1 exerts cardioprotective effects during myocardial ischemia-reperfusion in diabetic rats and whether this effect is related to ...

Background/Aim. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) reduces myocardial injury and improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI). We investigated the early alterations provided by G-CSF and the chronic repercussions in infarcted rats. Methods. Male Wistar rats (200-250g) received vehicle (MI) or G-CSF (MI-GCSF) (50 μg/kg, sc) at 7, 3 and 1 ...

Introduction: The only causal therapy in ischemic stroke is thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA), but it is feasible only for few patients, and new therapies are needed. This study investigates the effects of systemic thrombolysis with rtPA combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in embolic stroke in rats. ...

Endogenous cardiac progenitor cells, expanded from explants via cardiosphere formation, present a promising cell source to prevent heart failure following myocardial infarction. Here we used cine-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track administered cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) and to measure changes in cardiac function over four months in the infarcted rat heart. ...

Aim: Gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) and hemichannel permeability may have important roles during an ischemic insult. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of ischemia on gap junction channels and hemichannels. Methods: We used neonatal rat heart myofibroblasts and simulated ischemia with a HEPES buffer with high potassium, low ...

Statins are reported to reduce mortality in patients with coronary artery disease and that mortality benefit might be related to the drugs' antiarrhythmic properties. Male rats were fed with or without pravastatin (0.1 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹) for 7 days, and thereafter subjected to 10 min of ischemia by coronary artery ligation followed ...

Results for implantation efficiency and effective improvement of cardiac function in the field of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are controversial. To attempt to clarify this debate, we utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and near-infrared optical imaging (OI) to explore the effects of different delivery modes of mesenchymal stem cells on ...

A natural p300-specific histone acetyltransferase (HAT) inhibitor, curcumin, may have therapeutic potential for heart failure. However, it is unclear whether curcumin exhibits beneficial additive or synergistic effects on conventional therapy with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs). Rats were subjected to a sham operation or left coronary artery ligation. One week later, ...

Background: Ischemic postconditioning (PostC), i.e. brief ischemia-reperfusion cycles before full reperfusion, is protective against cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Inhibition of the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger NHE1 and delayed intracellular pH-normalization have been proposed to underlie protection by PostC. Methods and Results: We used Langendorff perfused rat hearts exposed to 35 min global ...

To investigate the effects of hyperglycemia on left ventricular dysfunction, morphometry, myocardial infarction area, hemodynamic parameters, oxidative stress profile, and mortality rate in rats that had undergone seven days of myocardial infarction. Previous research has demonstrated that hyperglycemia may protect the heart against ischemic injury. Male Wistar rats were divided ...

Coronary artery ligation is widely used for myocardial infarction (MI) induction in rats but produces a large variation in infarct size - a major determinant of mortality. Accurate control of infarct size is critically important for the establishment of a useful animal model. This study determined the anatomical course of ...

Congestive heart failure (CHF), a common clinical syndrome, has reached epidemic proportions. Its disabling symptoms account for frequent hospitalizations and readmissions. Pathophysiological mechanisms that lead to CHF and account for its progressive nature are of considerable interest. Important scientific observations obtained from Dr Pawan K Singal's laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, ...

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) on ventricular fibrillation (VF) in rats with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Rats were randomly classified into AMI group, sham operation group and recombinant human tumor necrosis factor receptor:Fc fusion protein (rhTNFR:Fc) group. Spontaneous and induced ...

BACKGROUND: Long-term β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) blockade reduces mortality in patients with heart failure. Chronic sympathetic hyperactivity in heart failure causes sustained β-AR activation, and this can deplete Ca(2+) in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) leading to ER stress and subsequent apoptosis. We tested the effect of β-AR blockers on ER stress pathway ...

The objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of the ligustrazine ethosome patch and antimyocardial ischemia and anti-ischemic reperfusion injury effect. Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided randomly into 3 groups: Group A (intragastric ligustrazine), Group B (transdermal ligustrazine ethosome patch), and Group C (conventional transdermal ligustrazine patch). ...

The recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is a useful therapy for acute ischemic stroke patients, but there is a major risk factor of hemorrhagic transformation. Hyperglycemic patients are not able to admit t-PA because hyperglycemia exaggerates ischemic brain and vascular damage following transient focal cerebral ischemia and frequently induces hemorrhagic ...

Chemical tissue fixation, followed by embedding in either agarose or Fomblin, is common practice in time-intensive MRI studies of ex vivo biological samples, and is required to prevent tissue autolysis and sample motion. However, the combined effect of fixation and sample embedding may alter tissue structure and MRI properties. We ...

Hydroalcoholic extract of Dioscorea bulbifera (DB), a yam variety called air potato, was tested for its protective effect on myocardial ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats due to apoptosis and necrosis. Myocardial I/R injury was induced by 30 min ischemia followed by 2 h reperfusion by perfusing isolated rat hearts with ...

People with schizophrenia show a two to threefold increased risk to die prematurely than those without schizophrenia. Patients' life style, suicide, premature development of cardiovascular disease, high prevalence of metabolic syndrome and sudden cardiac death are well-known causes of the excess mortality. The exact pathophysiological cause of sudden death in ...

Cardiac arrhythmogenesis and cryptogenic epilepsy can be due to ion channel dysfunction and may coexist in the same patient. Sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a known entity with unknown cause, with the possibility of ventricular tachyarrhythmias being one of the causes. However, no prior study has investigated epileptic ...

Brugada syndrome (BS) has an intermittent or concealed type, which can be unmasked by the sodium (Na(+))-channel-blocker challenge test. The appropriate risk stratification of patients with a drug-induced Brugada-type electrocardiographic (ECG), especially those without a history of syncope or aborted sudden cardiac death, remains unclear. The prognosis of patients with ...

Sudden death in pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum with right ventricular dependent coronary circulation is a well-established complication, and is thought to be caused by myocardial ischaemia. We report a case of paroxysmal complete atrioventricular block that raises the possibility of an additional mechanism of sudden death.

The incidence of cardiac death is higher among patients receiving dialysis compared with the general population. Although obstructive coronary artery disease is involved in cardiac deaths in the general population, deaths in hemodialysis patients occur in the apparent absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. To study this further, we prospectively ...

Epidemiology of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in India is understudied. We assessed proportion of SCD among total mortality in a population in Southern India using a staged, questionnaire-based kindred-wide approach. Detailed questionnaires (DQs) were completed by medical trainees from 8 medical colleges. Preliminary questionnaires evaluated total deaths in the kindred ...

In this article the newly classified cardiomyopathy known as left ventricular noncompaction is discussed. This genetic inherited form of heart disease has substantial risk of heart failure, stroke, metabolic derangement, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. The disorder seems to occur because of an arrest of the normal process of development, ...

Athletes are thought the healthiest segment of the population. Yet, there is a general appearance that athletes are more prone to sudden cardiac death and arrhythmias than nonathletes. Bradycardias in athletes are nearly universal, but advanced heart block is usually pathologic. Athletes may be more prone to atrial fibrillation, but ...

The search for effective treatment for preventing sudden cardiac death (SCD) initially started with anti-arrhythmic agents in high-risk patients, but the use of randomized controlled trials clearly led to the conclusion that an approach based on anti-arrhythmic agents is not useful, and sometimes potentially harmful (the risk of arrhythmic death ...

Individuals with epilepsy are at higher risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), responsible for 7.5% to 17% of all deaths in epilepsy. Many factors are current associated with SUDEP and possible effect of stress and cardiac arrhythmia are still not clear. Sudden death syndrome (SDS) in chickens is ...