title: Mechanism for reduced pericardial adhesion formation in hypercholesterolemic swine supplemented with alcohol.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous experiments in Yorkshire swine demonstrated significantly fewer pericardial adhesions and intramyocardial collagen deposition at reoperative sternotomy in animals supplemented with vodka but not with red wine. The purpose of this experiment was to determine a mechanism for adhesion reduction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven male Yorkshire swine were fed a high-cholesterol diet to simulate conditions of coronary artery disease followed by the surgical placement of an ameroid constrictor to the left circumflex coronary artery to induce chronic ischaemia. Postoperatively, control pigs continued their high-fat/cholesterol diet alone, whereas the two experimental groups had diets supplemented with either red wine or vodka for 7 weeks followed by reoperative sternotomy and cardiac harvest.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of related adhesion focal tyrosine kinase (RAFTK) and caspase 3 in the sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-soluble myocardial fraction was significantly higher only in the vodka-supplemented group. In the more soluble fraction, the expression of caspase 3, cleaved caspase 3 and caspase 9 was lower in both the vodka and red wine treatment groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the SDS-soluble lysate fraction, likely representing the transmembrane/cell-extracellular matrix (ECM), a significant increase in RAFTK and caspase 3 expression was seen only in the vodka-treated animals, which may explain why this group demonstrated significantly fewer pericardial adhesions. Caspase expression/signalling was not increased in the more soluble myocardial lysate, suggesting that the increased apoptotic signalling was specific to the epicardial-ECM.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cardiovascular Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02905, USA.
authors.forename: Antonio D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Lassaletta
authors.forename: Louis M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Nassrene Y
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Elmadhun
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Robich
authors.forename: Zachary G
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Frank W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Sellke
mesh_terms: D000434:Alcoholic Beverages; D000438:Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D051418:Focal Adhesion Kinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism; D010496:Pericardium / Q000187:drug effects; D051744:Protein Kinase C-epsilon / Q000378:metabolism; D015531:Radioimmunoprecipitation Assay; D012086:Reoperation; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D056346:Sternotomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D013552:Swine; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D051418:Focal Adhesion Kinase 2; D051744:Protein Kinase C-epsilon; D020169:Caspases