Acceleration of recovery of mitochondrial function after coronary reperfusion by various coronary dilating drugs in canine hearts

This study was designed to evaluate whether or not increase in coronary blood flow after reperfusion accelerates the recovery of ischemia-induced mitochondrial damage. Using anesthetized dogs, the left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 30 min, followed by 20 min of reperfusion. Five minutes after reperfusion, either physiological saline (n = 9), 0.5 mg/kg of dilazep (n = 7), 0.2 mg/kg of diltiazem (n = 7), or 0.5 mg/kg of nicorandil (n = 8) were administered intravenously. Arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and coronary blood flow were measured throughout the experiment. Twenty minutes after reperfusion, heart mitochondria from normal and reperfused areas were prepared, and mitochondrial function was measured. Significant increase in coronary flow was observed during reperfusion in all drug-treated groups; however, no significant increase was observed in the control group 10 min after reperfusion. Significant hemodynamic changes were not observed in all groups. Mitochondrial function from reperfused areas was recovered significantly in all drug-treated groups, though in the control group mitochondrial dysfunction persisted. Coronary dilative mechanisms of drugs used here differ; however, a similar effect was demonstrated, i.e., administration of a coronary dilator accelerates the recovery of mitochondria after reperfusion. Therefore, it is concluded that coronary flow after reperfusion might be a primary factor in the recovery of ischemia-induced mitochondrial damage.