title: [Effect of anisodamine on myocardial connexin 43 expression in pig after resuscitation from cardiac arrest].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of anisodamine on the expression of connexin 43 (Cx43) in swine ventricular myocardium after resuscitation from cardiac arrest.
  
  
  METHODS
  The experiment was conducted on healthy pigs, and they were randomly divided into three groups, namely sham group, epinephrine group (control group) and anisodamine group (experimental group, animals were resuscitated combined with injection of 0.4 mg/kg of anisodamine), with 5 pigs in each group. Model of ventricular fibrillation was reproduced by alternating current challenge, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed 8 minutes after cardiac arrest. Left ventricular myocardium was harvested at 24 hours after restoration of spontaneous circulation. The expression and distribution of Cx43 were observed by immunofluorescence, Cx43 mRNA expression was assessed with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the protein expressions of Cx43 and phosphorylation of Cx43 (p-Cx43) were analyzed by Western Blot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The positive expression of Cx43 in ventricular muscle was distributed uniformly, mostly at the end-to-end linkage of myocardial cells, with a few side-to-side linkage in sham group. The positive expression of Cx43 in control group was significantly weaker than that in the sham group, and the signal intensity was significantly declined (4.35±2.10 vs. 10.02±3.66, P < 0.01). The positive expression of Cx43 at the end-to-end linkage and side-to-side linkage was irregular in experimental group, and the signal intensity was obviously higher than that in the control group (7.91±2.54 vs. 4.35±2.10, P < 0.05), but it was significantly weaker than that in the sham group (7.91±2.54 vs. 10.02±3.66, P < 0.05). For control group and experimental group, the Cx43 mRNA and protein expressions were significantly lower than those of the sham group [Cx43 mRNA (A value): 0.32±0.05, 0.32±0.03 vs. 0.48±0.07; Cx43 protein (A value): 0.43±0.03, 0.50±0.07 vs. 0.65±0.04, all P < 0.01], and there were no significant differences between experimental group and control group (all P > 0.05). The p-Cx43 protein expression of control group was significantly lower than that of the sham group (A value: 0.22±0.03 vs. 0.37±0.06, P < 0.01), and it was significantly higher in the experiment group than that in the control group (A value: 0.29±0.07 vs. 0.22±0.03, P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference with the sham group (P > 0.05). No significant difference in p-Cx43/Cx43 was found among sham, control, and experiment groups (0.57±0.09, 0.51±0.05, 0.58±0.06, all P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anisodamine can improve the abnormal expression of Cx43 in ventricular muscle of pigs with cardiac arrest, which may be related to the protection effect of anisodamine on cardiac conduction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency, General Hospital of Chinese People Armed Police Forces, Beijing 100039, China. Corresponding author: Shen Hong, Department of Emergency, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100853, China, Email: shenhong@em120.com.
authors.forename: Yahua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Lixiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huining
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lizhi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D018031:Connexin 43; D006323:Heart Arrest; D009206:Myocardium; D010766:Phosphorylation; D012991:Solanaceous Alkaloids; D013552:Swine; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation
chemical_list: D018031:Connexin 43; D012991:Solanaceous Alkaloids; C003922:anisodamine