Diazoxide Attenuates Ischemic Myocardial Injury in a Porcine Model

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that diazoxide, a mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel opener, has cardioprotective effects during acute myocardial ischemia. Diazoxide is suggested to act through protein kinase Cε (PKCε) activation. METHODS: Twelve piglets were randomly assigned to receive intravenous infusion of diazoxide (3.5 mg/kg) with solvent or only solvent (6 animals per group) before cardiac ischemia. Myocardial ischemia was induced by occluding the left circumflex artery (LCX) for 40 minutes. The reperfusion and follow-up period lasted for three hours. Throughout the experiment hemodynamic measurements and blood samples were collected, and after the follow-up period the hearts were harvested for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as well as histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses. RESULTS: TEM showed less ischemic damage on a cellular level in the diazoxide group (P = .004) than in the control group. Creatinine kinase MB levels (Pt*g = .030) were lower, and oxygen consumption (Pt*g = .037) and delivery (Pg = .038) were higher in the diazoxide group compared to the controls. CONCLUSION: Diazoxide preserves myocardial cellular structure and cellular function, and thus it may have benefits in treating ischemic myocardial injury.