Endothelin-1 can reduce infarct size through protein kinase C and KATP channels in the isolated rat heart

Abstract

Objective: Protection from ischaemic preconditioning (IP) is dependent on activation of protein kinase C (PKC), and preconditionings protection can be mimicked by stimulation of various membrane receptors which are known to activate PKC. It is well known that KATP channel activation is cardioprotective. We tested the hypothesis that preischaemic treatment with endothelin-1 (ET-1) can protect against infarction by a PKC-dependent mechanism and by activating KATP channels.

Methods: Buffer-perfused isolated rat hearts were subjected to 30 min regional ischaemia and 120 min reperfusion. Risk zone was determined by fluorescent particles, and infarct size by TTC staining.

Results: Treatment with ET-1 in a dose of 1 nM prior to ischaemia significantly reduced infarct size in % of the risk zone compared to the control group (infarct size: 14.1 +/- 2.6 vs. 41.9 +/- 3.4%), while ET-1 0.1 nM did not protect (infarct size: 40.9 +/- 3%). AS the protective dose of ET-1 resulted in a significant reduction of coronary flow, a control group with a similar preischaemic flow-reduction was included (infarct size: 48.1 +/- 4.2%). Both the nonselective ETA/ETB receptor antagonist bosentan (1 microM) and the ET(A)-receptor-selective antagonist BQ 123 (2 microM) abolished protection from ET-1 (infarct size: 43.3 +/- 3.5 and 41.3 +/- 3.3%, respectively), as did the PKC inhibitor chelerythrine (2 microM) (infarct size: 41.1 +/- 5.2%) and the KATP blocker 5-hydroxydecanoate (infarct size: 41.7 +/- 2.9%). None of the ET receptor antagonists bosentan and BQ-123 influenced infarct size alone (infarct size: 42.7 +/- 2.5 and 41.3 +/- 3.3%, respectively). IP, similarly to ET-1, reduced infarct size (infarct size: 6.1 +/- 1.4%), but the nonselective ET receptor antagonist bosentan did not interfere with preconditioning's protection (infarct size: 13.2 +/- 4.3%).

Conclusions: ET-1 treatment prior to ischaemia can protect against infarction via ETA receptors by a PKC-dependent mechanism and by activating KATP channels, but ET does not mediate IP in the isolated rat heart.