Ozone administration reduces reperfusion injury in an isolated rat heart model.
BACKGROUND
Accumulating clinical experience with ozone administration for conditions associated with ischemia has been encouraging. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of ozone on reperfusion injury in an isolated rat heart model.


METHODS
Isolated rat hearts were perfused with modified Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution via ascending aorta cannulation. After 15 minutes, perfusion was stopped and global ischemia was maintained for 30 minutes, following which perfusion was restarted, and continued for 40 minutes. Baseline hemodynamic measurements (heart rate, left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), dP/dt, and coronary flow) were taken prior to ischemia, and every 10 minutes after reperfusion was started. Eleven hearts were treated with ozone during reperfusion and eight hearts served as controls. In the treatment group, after 5 minutes of reperfusion, ozone was administered in distilled water via a side arm for 5 minutes.


RESULTS
Preischemic baseline hemodynamic measurements and coronary flow were similar in the two groups. Hearts treated with ozone during reperfusion exhibited better recovery than did controls. Mean (+/-SE) percent recovery for treatment and control groups, respectively, was: LVDP 69 +/- 2% vs 51 +/- 6% (p = 0.04); dP/dt 68.9 +/- 13.3% vs 53.7 +/- 20.4% (p = 0.05); and LVDPxHR 61.4 +/- 3.3% vs 44.4 +/- 3.5% (p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
In the isolated rat heart model, treatment with ozone during reperfusion enables better recovery than in controls. Although the mechanism by which ozone exerts its beneficial effect is not identified, it is possibly due to reduction in reperfusion injury.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel. cts-szmc@szmc.org.il
Ofer
O
Merin
Eyal
E
Attias
Deborah
D
Elstein
Herzl
H
Schwalb
Dani
D
Bitran
Ari
A
Zimran
Shuli
S
Silberman
D000818:Animals; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D005947:Glucose; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010126:Ozone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D014325:Tromethamine; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology
C074097:Krebs-Henseleit solution; D014325:Tromethamine; D010126:Ozone; D005947:Glucose