Protective Effect of Sufentanil against Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in Rats.

The objective of this study was to investigate the action of sufentanil (Fen) pretreatment on inducible myocardial apoptosis by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in rats. 120 male rats (mean age = 3 months) were randomly assigned to six conditions: control group (group S), I/R group, normal saline (NS) I/R group, and low, medium and high dose Fen groups, where in high dose group: Fen1:2µg/kg; Fen2:4µg/kg; Fen3:6µg/kg. The measured items included heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), ±dp/dtmax, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, creatine phosphokinase MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin-I (cTnI). The total apoptotic cardiomyocytes, B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bax protein and mRNA expression were detected in the myocardial ischemia (MI) region. The HR and the MAP of the Fen group exceeded that of the I/R group, while the LVDP and ±dp/dtmax were approximate to the basic values. The MDA concentrations and CK-MB values of the Fen group went down and the SOD activity went up when was compared with the I/R group. Whereas, cTnI concentrations of Fen1 and Fen2 groups sharply decreased (all P<0.05); the myocardial injury of the Fen group was less the I/R group. Whereas, the MI region and apoptosis indexes of Fen1 and Fen2 groups dropped significantly (all P<0.05); moreover, Bcl-2 protein and mRNA expression rose significantly in the Fen group by being compared to the I/R group, while Bax protein and mRNA expression were declined clearly (all P<0.05). Regulating Bcl-2 and Bax of Fen pretreatment can inhibit I/R-induced myocardial apoptosis of rats. As a result, Fen may be a potential drug to treat of I/R injuryrelated heart disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]