Studies on the significance of serum mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase activity following ischemic cardiac arrest.

Abstract

Aspartate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1:AST) is known to have two isoenzymes, one associated with the cytoplasm (c-AST) and the other with the mitochondria (m-AST). We studied the relationships of m-AST activity in the coronary sinus blood to left ventricular function, coronary blood flow, water content and high-energy phosphate stores of the left ventricle following hypothermic ischemic cardiac arrest. Under cardiopulmonary bypass with hypothermia of 20 degrees C of myocardial temperature, 120 min of aortic occlusion was employed in 15 mongrel dogs. Left ventricular function (peak left ventricular pressure, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, max dp/dt, cardiac index, left ventricular stroke work index), coronary blood flow, myocardial oxygen consumption, myocardial enzyme activity (m-AST, CK-MB), myocardial water content and high-energy phosphate stores (adenosine triphosphate, creatine phosphate) of the subendocardium of the left ventricle were measured. Data was obtained in the control state, and after 0, 30 and 60 min of reperfusion. Significant negative correlations were obtained between m-AST activity and peak left ventricular pressure (r = -0.81, p less than 0.001), max dp/dt (r = -0.83, p less than 0.001), cardiac product (r = -0.73, p less than 0.01), coronary blood flow (r = -0.59, p less than 0.05), adenosine triphosphate level (r = 0.72, p less than 0.01) and creatine phosphate level (r = -0.72, p less than 0.02) after 60 min of reperfusion. Significant positive correlations were obtained between m-AST activity and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (r=0.75, p less than 0.01) and water content (r = 0.78, p less than 0.01) after 60 min of reperfusion. These results led to the assumption that serum m-AST activity in the coronary venous blood is a useful index to evaluate the degree of myocardial injury.