title: In vivo chronic carvedilol treatment in rats attenuates ex vivo regional infarction of the heart.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Carvedilol is an alpha-and beta-blocking agent with antioxidant properties. We examined if treatment with carvedilol in vivo protected the heart against ischemic injury ex vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Isolated hearts from treated rats (80 mg/kg/day) were subjected to 30 min regional ischemia. Hearts from non-treated animals received either no drug, 10 min carvedilol (1 microM) acute or ischemic preconditioning (IP) by 5 min ischemia +5 min reperfusion prior to regional ischemia. In separate experiments isolated hearts were subjected to 15 min global ischemia and 30 min reperfusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Infarct size was significantly reduced by ischemic preconditioning or by chronic carvedilol treatment (9.0+/-0.9% and 7.2+/-1.9% of risk zone infarcted, respectively, vs. 33.8+/-6.4% in control hearts, mean+/-SEM, p < 0.05). Recovery of left ventricular developed pressure after global ischemia was not improved by carvedilol. Post-ischemic rise in left ventricular end diastolic pressure was, however, attenuated by chronic carvedilol treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chronic in vivo but not acute ex vivo pretreatment with carvedilol significantly limited infarct size in isolated rat hearts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Starkopf
authors.forename: Stig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hegna
authors.forename: Odd Erik
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Munch-Ellingsen
authors.forename: Ole D
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Mjøs
authors.forename: Kirsti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ytrehus
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002227:Carbazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000077261:Carvedilol; D003971:Diastole / Q000187:drug effects; D019157:Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial; D023421:Models, Animal; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000517:prevention & control; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017682:Myocardial Stunning / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D002227:Carbazoles; D011412:Propanolamines; D000077261:Carvedilol