Summary
Thirty pigs were randomly assigned to a blind treatment with vitamin E or placebo. Ten animals each received 0.5g d-alpha tocopherol intravenously before ischemia (group 1) or before reperfusion (group 2). Ten control pigs were treated with a lipid emulsion as placebo. The left anterior descending coronary artery was distally ligated for 45 min followed by 3 days of reperfusion. Infarct size was determined as ratio of infarcted (tetrazolium stain) to ischemic myocardium (dye technique). Regional systolic shortening was assessed by sonomicrometry. Myocardial and plasma concentrations of vitamin E were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Global hemodynamic parameters and estimated left ventricular oxygen consumption did not differ among the three groups. Intravenous treatment with vitamin E raised the plasma levels of this vitamin from 1 ± 0.3 mg/l (control group) to 21 ± 6 mg/l before ischemia, to 4 ± 2 mg/l before reperfusion and to 2 ± 0.6 mg/l at the end of the experiments in group 1. In group 2, vitamin E plasma levels increased from 1 ± 0.3 mg/l to 24 ± 13 mg/l before reperfusion and to 2 ± 0.6 mg/l after 3 days of reperfusion. At the end of the experiments, myocardial vitamin E concentrations amounted to 4.2 ± 0.7 ng/mg fresh weight (control group), 9.7 ± 2.1 ng/mg (group 1), and to 8.7 ± 1.4 ng/mg (group 2). The increase in vitamin E plasma concentration was not associated with a cardioprotective effect. Infarct sizes of the three groups (group 1: 68 ± 12%, group 2: 66 ± 15%, control group: 69 ± 8%) were almost identical. Furthermore, recovery of systolic shortening was not improved by the acute vitamin E treatment. Mean systolic shortening of the reperfused segment amounted to 4% in the two treatment groups and 3% in the control group after 3 days of reperfusion. These results suggest that an acute increase in vitamin E plasma concentration before ischemia or during the early phase of reperfusion does not protect the ischemic, reperfused porcine heart.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Blasig IE, Ebert B, Löwe H (1986) Identification of free radicals trapped during myocardial ischemia in vitro by ESR. Studia Biophysica 116:35–42
Bolli R, Jeroudi MO, Patel BS, DuBose CM, Lai EK, Roberts R, McCay PB (1989) Direct evidence that oxygen-derived free radicals contribute to postischemic myocardial dysfunction in the intact dog. Proc Natl Acad Sci 86:4695–4699
Bretschneider HJ, Hellige G (1976) Pathophysiologie der Ventrikelkontraktion-Kontraktilität, Inotropie, Suffizienzgrad und Arbeitsökonomie des Herzens. Verb Dtsch Ges Kreisl Forsch 41:14–30
Bugge-Asperheim B, Leraand S, Kill F (1969) Local dimensional changes of the myocardium measured by ultrasonic technique. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 24:361–371
Burton GW, Joyce A, Ingold KU (1983) Is vitamin E the only lipid-soluble, chain-breaking antioxidant in human blood and erythrocyte membranes? Arch Biochem Biophys 221:281–290
Burton GW, Foster DO, Perly B, Slater TF, Smith ICP, Ingold KU (1985) Biological antioxidants. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B 331:565–578
Eckstein RW (1954) Coronary interarterial anastomoses in young pigs and mongrel dogs. Circ Res 2:460–465
Freeman GL, Le Winter NM, Engler RL, Covell JW (1985) Relationship between myocardial fiber direction and segment shortening in the midwall of the canine left ventricle. Circ Res 56:31–39
Heimisch W, Hagl S, Gebhardt K, Meisner H, Mendler N, Sebening F (1981) Direct measurement of cyclic changes in regional wall geometry in the left ventricle of the dog. Innov Tech Biol Med 2:487–501
Horwitt MK (1986) The promotion of vitamin E. J Nutr 116:1371–1377
Klein HH, Pich S, Bohle RM, Lindert S, Nebendahl K, Buchwald A, Schuff-Werner P, Kreuzer H (1988a) Antiinflammatory agent BW 755C in ischemic reperfused porcine hearts. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 12:338–344
Klein HH, Pich S, Lindert S, Buchwald A, Nebendahl K, Kreuzer H (1988b) Intracoronary superoxide dismutase for the treatment of reperfusion injury. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial in ischemic, reperfused porcine hearts. Basic Res Cardiol 83:141–148
Klein HH, Pich S, Lindert S, Nebendahl K, Niedmann P, Kreuzer H (1989a) Combined treatment with vitamins E and C in experimental myocardial infarction in pigs. Am Heart J 118:667–673
Klein HH, Pich S, Lindert S, Nebendahl K, Warneke G, Kreuzer H (1989b) Treatment of reperfusion injury with intracoronary calcium channel antagonists and reduced coronary free calcium concentration in regionally ischemic, reperfused porcine hearts. J Am Coll Cardiol 13:1395–1401
Klein HH, Puschmann S, Schaper J, Schaper W (1981) The mechanism of the tetrazolium reaction in identifying experimental myocardial infarction. Virchows Arch (Pathol Anat) 393:287–297
Kloner RA, Przyklenk K, Whittaker P (1989) Deterious effects of oxygen radicals in ischemia/reperfusion. Resolved and unresolved issues. Circulation 80:1115–1127
Müller KD, Klein HH, Schaper W (1980) Changes in myocardial oxygen consumption 45 minutes after experimental coronary occlusion do not alter infarct size. Cardiovasc Res 14:710–718
Nachlas MU, Shnitka TK (1963) Macroscopic identification of early myocardial infarcts by alteration in dehydrogenase activity. Am J Pathol 42:379–405
Nierenberg D, Lester DC (1985) Determination of vitamins A and E in serum and plasma using a simplified clarification method and high performance liquid chromatography. J Chromatogr 345:275–284
Opie LH (1989) Reperfusion injury and its pharmacologic modification. Circulation 80:1049–1062
Rao PS, Cohen MV, Mueller HS (1983) Production of free radicals and lipid peroxides in early experimental myocardial ischemia. J Mol Cell Cardiol 15:713–716
Schaper W, Frenzel H, Hort W (1979) Experimental coronary artery occlusion. I Measurement of infarct size. Basic Res Cardiol 74:46–53
Sjöquist PO, Duker G, Almgren O (1984) Distribution of the collateral blood flow at the lateral border of the ischemic myocardium after acute coronary occlusion in the pig and the dog. Basic Res Cardiol 79:164–175
Zweier JL, Flaherty JT, Weisfeld ML (1987) Direct measurement of free radical generation following reperfusion of ischemic myocardium. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 84:1404–1407
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, KL 724
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Klein, H.H., Pich, S., Nebendahl, K. et al. Acute treatment with vitamin E does not protect the regionally ischemic, reperfused porcine heart. Basic Res Cardiol 86, 32–39 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02193869
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02193869