Drag-reducing polymers (DRPs) are blood-soluble macromolecules that can increase blood flow and reduce vascular resistance. The purpose of the present study was to observe the effect of DRPs on ischemic reperfusion (I/R) injury of isolated rat hearts. Experiments were performed on isolated rat hearts subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 90 min of reperfusion in Langendorff preparations. Adult Wistar rats were divided into the following five groups: control group, I/R group, group III (I/R and 2×10(-7) g/ml PEO reperfusion), group IV (I/R and 1×10(-6) g/ml PEO reperfusion), and group V (I/R and 5×10(-6) g/ml PEO reperfusion). Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), maximum rate of ventricular pressure increase and decrease ( ± dp/dtmax), heart rate (HR) and coronary flow were measured. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) activity and coronary flow, myocardial infarction size and cardiomyocytes apoptosis were also assayed. Our results showed that PEO decreased LVEDP and increased LVSP, ± dP/dtmax in group IV and group V compared with the I/R group (all P < 0.05). The coronary flow significantly increased and the activities of LDH and CK in the coronary flow significantly decreased in group IV and group V compared with those in the I/R group (all P < 0.05). Cell apoptosis and myocardial infarction size were reduced in group IV and group V compared with the I/R group (all P < 0.05). Collectively, these results suggested that DRPs had a protective effect on cardiac I/R injury of isolated rat hearts and it may offer a new potential approach for the treatment of acute ischemic heart diseases.
Keywords: Drag-reducing polymers; ischemic reperfusion injury; polyethylene oxide.