Effects of human superoxide dismutase on ischemic and reperfused myocardium in isolated perfused rat heart.

Abstract

The effect of human superoxide dismutase (h-SOD) on the ischemic heart was studied in the isolated perfused working rat heart. Myocardial mechanical function expressed as pressure-rate product decreased and completely stopped within 5 min after the onset of global ischemia, and never recovered after reperfusion following 20 min of ischemia. In the ischemic myocardium, the levels of ATP, ADP, and creatine phosphate decreased, and those of AMP and lactate increased. Reperfusion of the ischemic heart did not restore the level of ATP completely. When the heart was treated with h-SOD, the perfusion medium was switched from the buffer containing no h-SOD to that containing h-SOD at either 100, 300 or 1,000 units/ml 5 min before the onset of ischemia. The pressure-rate products of the heart treated with 100, 300, and 1,000 units/ml of h-SOD were restored by reperfusion to 22%, 59%, and 51% of the preischemic level, respectively. The levels of ATP and creatine phosphate in the reperfused heart with 300 and 1,000 units/ml of h-SOD were significantly higher than those without h-SOD. However, a dose-response relationship was not observed when h-SOD was used in concentrations greater than 300 units/ml. These results indicate that a certain amount of h-SOD has some beneficial effects on the ischemic myocardium.