title: Improved myocardial performance induced by clofibrate during reperfusion after acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: The increase of cellular fatty acids appears to be one of the causes of the myocardial injury during ischemia and reperfusion. This study was designed to examine whether a hypolipidemic drug such as clofibrate can reduce the myocardial injury during ischemia and reperfusion. Clofibrate was fed to experimental pigs for 9 days. Isolated in situ hearts from both experimental and control pigs were subjected to 60 min of regional ischemia induced by occluding the left anterior descending coronary artery, followed by 60 min of global ischemia by hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and 60 min of reperfusion. The clofibrate feeding resulted in the better cardiac performance as judged by increased coronary blood flow, improved left ventricular function, and reduced myocardial injury as judged by creatine kinase release. Although the clofibrate-fed animals contained higher levels of thiobarbituric reactive materials, the free fatty acid levels of plasma and myocardium were much lower compared with control animals. The clofibrate feeding was also associated with increased peroxisomal catalase and beta-oxidation of fatty acids. These results suggest that decreased levels of free fatty acids in the plasma and the myocardium and increased catalase activity induced by antilipolytic therapy appear to provide beneficial effects to the myocardium during ischemia and reperfusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington 06032.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Clement
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Otani
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Engelman
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Breyer
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rousou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002374:Catalase / Q000032:analysis; D002994:Clofibrate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000378:metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000032:analysis; D008830:Microbodies; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D015424:Reperfusion; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D008055:Lipids; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002374:Catalase; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D002994:Clofibrate