CONCANAVALIN-A, RIBOSE, AND ADENINE RESUSCITATE PRESERVED RAT HEARTS

Preserved hearts may have cardiac dysfunction associated with inadequa te myocardial high-energy phosphates. To resuscitate preserved hearts, hearts from male Wistar adult rats were preserved in 4.0 degrees C co ld-modified Krebs-Henseleit buffer (pH 7.40) for 8 h, subjected to 30 min of reperfusion at 36.5 degrees C with the administration of concan avalin A (Con A; 40 mg/L), ribose (0.1 mM), and adenine (0.1 mM). In c omparison with the normal control, the preserved group had a decrease in cardiac output (CO; p < 0.001), myocardial adenosine triphosphate ( ATP; p < 0.001), and creatine phosphate (CP; p < 0.001), associated wi th an increase in myocardial Ca2+ (p < 0.01) and release of myocardial adenine nucleosides (ANs; p < 0.001). In comparison with the preserve d group, the group reperfused with ribose and adenine had no improveme nt of these parameters (p > 0.05). The group reperfused with Con A had an increase in CO (p < 0.01) and myocardial CP (p < 0.01), associated with a decrease in myocardial Ca2+ (p < 0.05) and ANs release (p < 0. 01), and no change in myocardial ATP. However, the group reperfused wi th Con A, ribose, and adenine achieved a significant increase in CO (p < 0.005), ATP (p < 0.005), CP (p < 0.005), and a decrease in myocardi al Ca2+ (p < 0.01) and ANs release (p < 0.01). Data suggest that the c ombination of Con A, ribose, and adenine may resuscitate cold-preserve d rat hearts.