title: Protective effects of spin-trapping agents on adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity in isolated rat atria.
abstract: Adriamycin (ADR) is known to exert a severe negative inotropic effect on isolated myocardial preparations; a role for free radical generation has been hypothesized. Spin-trapping of free radicals has been extensively exploited in ESR studies, both in cell-free systems and in intact tissues. The interaction between spin-traps and free radicals should in principle stop the reaction cascade leading to cellular damage. Based on this hypothesis, the possible cardioprotective action of three spin-trapping agents, 5,5-dimethyl-l-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO), N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone (PBN) and alpha-(4-pyridyl 1-oxide) N-tert-butylnitrone (POBN), was tested on isolated rat atria incubated in the presence of ADR; maximal non-cardiotoxic concentrations were used (50, 10 and 50 mM respectively) in order to achieve a maximal spin-trapping effect. A varying degree of protection was observed with the three compounds, directly correlated to their hydrophobicity, as assessed by chloroform/water partition coefficients. It is proposed that ADR-induced free radical generation is responsible for the acute cardiotoxic effects of the drug; this seems to be a site-specific mechanism restricted to one or more hydrophobic cellular compartment/s, since only lipophilic spin-trapping agents are able to prevent the development of the negative inotropic effect of ADR.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paracchini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perletti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piccinini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003497:Cyclic N-Oxides / Q000494:pharmacology; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005609:Free Radicals; D007700:Kinetics; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides / Q000494:pharmacology; D011725:Pyridines; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013113:Spin Labels
chemical_list: D003497:Cyclic N-Oxides; D005609:Free Radicals; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D011725:Pyridines; D013113:Spin Labels; C043438:alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone; C029217:phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone; C017245:5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide; D004317:Doxorubicin