ubiquinone-9 and Myocardial-Ischemia

Contrary to clinical trials, experimental studies revealed that diabetes mellitus (DM) may initiate, besides increased myocardial vulnerability to ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) and pro/antioxidant dysbalance, development of adaptation leading to an enhanced tolerance to I/R. The aims were to characterize 1) susceptibility to ischemia-induced ventricular arrhythmias in the diabetic rat heart 2) its response to antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and a NOS inhibitor L-NAME, and 3) the effect of DM on endogenous antioxidant systems. Seven days after streptozotocin injection (65 mg/kg, i.p.), Langendorff-perfused control (C) and DM hearts were subjected to 30-min occlusion of the LAD coronary artery with or without prior 15-min treatment with L-NAME (100 microM) or NAC (4 mM). Total number of ventricular premature beats (VPB), as well the total duration of ventricular tachycardia (VT) were reduced in the DM group (from 533+/-58 and 37.9+/-10.2 s to 224.3+/-52.6 and 19+/-13.5 s; P<0.05). In contrast to the antiarrhythmic effects of L-NAME and NAC in controls group (VPB 290+/-56 and 74+/-36, respectively; P<0.01 vs. control hearts), application of both drugs in the diabetics did not modify arrhythmogenesis (L-NAME: VPB 345+/-136, VT 25+/-13 s; NAC: VPB 207+/-50, VT 12+/-3.9 s; P>0.05 vs non-treated diabetic hearts). Diabetic state was associated with significantly elevated levels of CoQ10 and CoQ9 (19.6+/-0.8 and 217.3+/-9.5 vs. 17.4+/- 0.5 and 185.0+/-5.0 nmol/g, respectively, in controls; P<0.05), as well as alpha-tocopherol (38.6+/-0.7 vs. 31.5+/-2.1 nmol/g in controls; P<0.01) in the myocardial tissue. It is concluded that early period of DM is associated with enhanced resistance to ischemia-induced arrhythmias. Diabetes mellitus might induce adaptive processes in the myocardium leading to lower susceptibility to antioxidant and L-NAME treatment.

Topics: Acetylcysteine; Adaptation, Physiological; alpha-Tocopherol; Animals; Antioxidants; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Enzyme Inhibitors; Male; Myocardial Ischemia; Myocardium; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Tachycardia, Ventricular; Ubiquinone; Up-Regulation; Ventricular Function, Left

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q9 (CoQ9) in isolated and perfused young (6 months) and aged (24 months) rat hearts, either under aerobic perfusion condition or during postischemic reperfusion. The young and aged hearts have been divided into 2 groups: Group A, aerobic perfusion for 60 min with recirculating Krebs-Henseleit solution, containing 0.8 microM p-OH-[U-14C]benzoate plus 2.5 mM mevalonlactone; Group B, severe ischemic perfusion for 30 min, followed by 60 min of reperfusion under the same experimental condition of Group A. At the end of the reperfusion the mitochondrial content of CoQ9 was lower in young than aged rat hearts (p < 0.01). In Group A the incorporation of the labeled precursor into mitochondrial CoQ9 was greater in the hearts of aged than young rats (p < 0.01); on the contrary, in Group B this incorporation was significantly reduced in aged than in young rats (p < 0.05). Thus, it is possible that, in the aged rat heart, the higher activity of CoQ9 biosynthesis is related to an elevated turnover of the coenzyme due to the aging process; moreover, this activity is partially reduced by an ischemic-reperfusion stress.

Topics: Aerobiosis; Aging; Animals; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Myocardial Ischemia; Myocardial Reperfusion; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury; Myocardium; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Ubiquinone