EFFECTS OF OROTIC-ACID ON ISCHAEMIC REPERFUSED MYOCARDIAL-FUNCTION AND GLYCOGEN-CONTENT IN ISOLATED WORKING RAT HEARTS/

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of erotic acid on ischaemic/reperfused myocardial function and cardiac glycogen content in isolated working rat hearts. In a preliminary series of stu dies, hearts isolated from male Wistar rats (300-350 g) were perfused with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit buffer containing cumulative concentra tions of erotic acid from 0.01 to 10.00 mg l(-1). In the concentration range of 0.01-0.10 mg l(-1), erotic acid significantly improved left ventricular function. Therefore, in the second series of studies, rats were treated intravenously with 0.01 mg kg(-1) erotic acid for 4 days . Hearts were then isolated and subjected to 30 min of global no-flow ischaemia followed by 10 min of reperfusion. Orotic acid treatment sig nificantly improved post-ischaemic myocardial function and increased p re-ischaemic and post-ischaemic glycogen content of the heart. We conc lude that erotic acid improves ischaemic/reperfused cardiac performanc e and this effect may be based on the elevation of myocardial glycogen content. (C) 1998 The Italian Pharmacological Society.