Electronic microscopy of ischemic and protected myocardium. Study in rats
Jiménez-Cardoso, J.M.; Shcheleib, R.; Chousleb, A.; Martínez, H.; Wusterhaus, A.H.
Archivos de Investigacion Medica 16(2): 127-138
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0066-6769 PMID: 3907566 Document Number: 263215
Cardiac transplants were performed from 32 white rats of the Wistar strain, to another 32 receptor rats. The surgical procedure consisted of extirpating the heart of the donor rat to transplant it on the abdominal aorta of the receptor rat. This way, each one had a thoracic heart and the transplanted abdominal one which had been subjected to global ischemia during two hours and reperfused during 20 minutes. Before the homotransplants the hearts were perfused with the following solutions, respectively: saline (group I), potassium cardioplegic (group II), Krebs with adrenosine (group III) and calcium blocker (group IV). During this time clinical recuperation was studied and biopsy specimens were taken to determine the high energy phosphate (ATP) through light and electron microscopy. This study demonstrated that the calcium blocking agent (nifedipine) was the most efficient one for preserving transplanted myocardial tissue.