The Effects of Ischemic Postconditioning on Myocardial Function and Nitric Oxide Metabolites Following Ischemia-Reperfusion in Hyperthyroid Rats

Ischemic postconditioning (IPost) could decrease ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. It has not yet reported whether IPost is useful when ischemic heart disease is accompanied with co-morbidities like hyperthyroidism. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of IPost on myocardial IR injury in hyperthyroid male rats. Hyperthyroidism was induced with administration of thyroxine in drinking water (12 mg/L) over a period of 21 days. After thoracotomy, the hearts of control and hyperthyroid rats were perfused in the Langendorff apparatus and subjected to 30 minutes global ischemia, followed by 120 minutes reperfusion; IPost, intermittent early reperfusion, was induced instantly following ischemia. In control rats, IPost significantly improved the left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) and ±dp/dt during reperfusion (p<0.05); however it had no effect in hyperthyroid rats. In addition, hyperthyroidism significantly increased basal NO_x (nitrate+nitrite) content in serum (125.5±5.4 µmol/L vs. 102.8±3.7 µmol/L; p< 0.05) and heart (34.9±4.1 µmol/L vs. 19.9±1.94 µmol/L; p<0.05). In hyperthyroid groups, heart NO_x concentration significantly increased after IR and IPost, whereas in the control groups, heart NO_x were significantly higher after IR and lower after IPost (p< 0.05). IPost reduced infarct size (p<0.05) only in control groups. In hyperthyroid group subjected to IPost, aminoguanidine, an inducible nitric oxide (NO) inhibitor, significantly reduced both the infarct size and heart NO_x concentrations. In conclusion, unlike normal rats, IPost cycles following reperfusion does not provide cardioprotection against IR injury in hyperthyroid rats; an effect that may be due to NO overproduction because it is restored by iNOS inhibition.