Effect of NADPH on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

Objective To evaluate the effect of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Methods Fifty-six SPF adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 220-320 g, aged 1-2 months, were divided into 4 groups (n=14 each) using a random number table method: sham operation group (Sham group), myocardial I/R group (I/R group), NADPH group (N group) and diltiazem group (D group). The model of myocardial I/R injury was established by ligation of the left anterior descending branch for 30 min followed by 2-h reperfusion in anesthetized rats.NADPH 16 mg/kg was intravenously infused over 5 min starting from 5 min of reperfusion in N group.Diltiazem 5 mg/kg was infused through the internal jugular vein starting from 10 min before ischemia until the end of ischemia.At 2 h of reperfusion, blood samples were taken from the internal jugular vein for measurement of serum LDH and cTnI concentrations, and myocardial tissues were taken for determination of infarct size and ROS level. Results Compared with Sham group, the serum LDH and cTnI concentrations, myocardial infarction size and ROS levels were significantly increased in I/R group (P 0.05). Conclusion NADPH can reduce myocardial I/R injury through antioxidant effect in rats. Key words: NADPH; Myocardial reperfusion injury