EFFECTS OF DURATION OF ISCHEMIA DURING PRECONDITIONING ON MECHANICAL FUNCTION, ENZYME-RELEASE AND ENERGY-PRODUCTION IN THE ISOLATED WORKING RAT-HEART

Repeated brief episodes of ischaemia "precondition" the myocardium and protect it during a subsequent period of sustained ischaemia. We subjected isolated rat hearts to sustained ischaemia with or without reperfusion after different schedules of preconditioning. We demonstrated that preconditioning with three 5 min periods of ischaemia separated by 10 min periods of reperfusion permits better functional recovery than preconditioning with three 2 min ischaemic periods separated by 10 min of reperfusion. Preconditoned hearts had creatine phosphate and adenine nucleotide levels comparable to those in the aerobically perfused controls, and showed good functional recovery. Although the mechanisms by which preconditioning protects the heart from subsequent ischaemic damage are unclear, we speculate that preservation of mitochondrial function and oxidative energy production is involved. © 1992.