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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 288/4/H1717    most recent 00257.2004v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kuzume, K. Articles by Van Winkle, D. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kuzume, K. Articles by Van Winkle, D. M.

Long-term infusion of Met⁵-enkephalin fails to protect murine hearts against ischemia-reperfusion injury

¹Research and ²Anesthesiology Services, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and ³Department of Anesthesiology, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, Oregon

Submitted 12 March 2004 ; accepted in final form 13 November 2004

Recently, we reported that exogenous administration of Met⁵-enkephalin (ME) for 24 h reduces infarct size after ischemia-reperfusion in rabbits. In the present study, we tested whether ME-induced cardioprotection is exhibited in murine hearts and whether chronic infusion of this peptide can render hearts tolerant to ischemia. Barbiturate-anesthetized open-chest mice (C57BL/6J) were subjected to regional myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (45 min of occlusion and 20 min of reperfusion). Mice received saline vehicle or ME for 24 h or 2 wk before undergoing regional myocardial ischemia-reperfusion or for 24 h followed by a 24-h delay before regional myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. Infarct size was measured with propidium iodide and is expressed as a percentage of the area at risk. Infarcts were smaller after infusion of ME for 24 h than with vehicle control: 49.2 ± 9.0% vs. 22.2 ± 3.2% (P < 0.01). In contrast, administration of ME for 2 wk failed to elicit cardioprotection: 36.5 ± 9.1% and 41.4 ± 8.2% for control and ME, respectively (P = not significant). When a 24-h delay was imposed between the end of drug treatment and the onset of the ischemic insult, cardioprotection was lost: 38.5 ± 6.1% and 42.8 ± 6.6% for control and ME, respectively (P = not significant). Chronic sustained exogenous infusion of the endogenously produced opioid peptide ME is associated with loss of the cardioprotection that is observed with 24 h of infusion. Furthermore, in this in vivo murine model, ME failed to induce delayed tolerance to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion.

infarction; ischemic preconditioning; myocardial; peptides; opioid