Summary
The effect of cold and warm intermittent antegrade blood cardioplegia, on the intracellular concentration of taurine in the ischaemic/ reperfused heart of patients undergoing aortic valve surgery, was investigated. Intracellular taurine was measured in ventricular biopsies taken before institution of cardiopulmonary bypass, at the end of 30 min of ischaemic arrest and 20 min after reperfusion. There was no significant change in the intracellular concentration of taurine in ventricular biopsies taken after the period of myocardial ischaemia in the two groups of patients (from 10.1 ± 1.0 to 9.6 ±0.9μmol/g wet weight for cold and from 9.3 ± 1.3 to 10.0 ± 1.3μmol/g wet weight for warm cardioplegia, respectively). Upon reperfusion however, there was a fall in taurine in both groups but was only significant (P → 0.05) in the group receiving cold blood cardioplegia (6.9 ± 0.8μmol/g wet weight after cold blood cardioplegia versus 8.0± 0.8μmol/g wet weight following warm blood cardioplegia). Like taurine, there were no significant changes in the intracellular concentration of ATP after ischaemia in the two groups of patients (from 3.2 ± 0.32 to 2.95 ± 0.43μmol/g wet weight for cold and from 2.75 ± 0.17 to 2.62 ± 0.21μmol/g wet weight for warm cardioplegia, respectively). However upon reperfusion there was a significant fall in ATP in both groups with the extent of the fall being less in the group receiving warm cardioplegia (1.79 ± 0.19μmol/g wet weight for cold and 1.98 ± 0.27μmol/g wet weight for warm cardioplegia, respectively). This work shows that reperfusion following ischaemic arrest with warm cardioplegia reduces the fall in tissue taurine seen after arrest with cold cardioplegia. Accumulation of intracellular sodium provoked by hypothermia and a fall in ATP, may be responsible for the fall in taurine by way of activating the sodium/taurine symport to efflux taurine.
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Ascione, R., Gomes, W.J., Angelini, G.D. et al. Warm blood cardioplegia reduces the fall in the intracellular concentration of taurine in the ischaemic/reperfused heart of patients undergoing aortic valve surgery. Amino Acids 15, 339–350 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01320898
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01320898