• Toxicological Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.161-168
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• 1995

It has been found that various stress challenges induce the myocardial antioxidant enzymes and produce an acquisition of the cellular resistance to the ischemic injury in animal hearts. Most of the stresses, however, seem to be guite dangerous to an animal's life. In the present study, therefore, we tried to search for safely applicable stress modalities which could lead to the induction of antioxidant enzymes and the production of myocardial tolerance to the ischemia-reperfusion injury. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were exposed to various non-fatal stress conditions, i.e., hyperthermia (environmental temperature of $42^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, non-anesthetized animal), iramobilization (60 min), treadmill exercise (20 m/min, 30min), swimming (30 min), and hyperbaric oxyflenation (3 atm, 60 min), once a day for 5 days. The activities of myocardial antioxidant enzymes and the ischemia-reperfusion injury of isolated hearts were evaluated at 24 hr after the last application of the stresses. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), were assayed in the freshly excised ventricular tissues. The ischemia-reperfusion injury was produced by 20 min-global ischemia followed by 30 min-reperfusion using a Langendorff perfusion system. In swimming and hyperbaric oxygenation groups, the activities of SOD and G6PD increased significantly and in the hyperthermia group, the catalase activity was elevated by 63% compared to the control. The percentile recoveries of cardiac function at 30 min of the post-ischemic reperfusion were 55.4%, 73.4%, and 74.2% in swimming, the hyperbaric oxygenation and the hyperthermia groups, respectively. The values were significantly higher than that of the control (38.6%). In additions, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and lactate dehydrogenase release were significantly reduced in the stress groups. The results suggest that the antioxidant enzymes in the heart could be induced by the apparently safe in vivo-stresses and this may be involved in the myocardial protection from the ischemia-reperfusion injury.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.6
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• pp.749-758
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• 1997

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury is known to be mediated by reactive oxygen species. The myocardial cell is equipped with endogenous antioxidant defensive system which can be adaptively stimulated by various oxidative stress. It is postulated that an increased oxygen partial pressure induced by hyperbaric oxygenation impose an oxidative stress on the cells, resulting alterations in the endogenous antioxidant system. In this study we investigated the effect of hyperbaric oxygenation on the activities of myocardial antioxidant enzymes and observed whether the hyperbaric oxygenation could protect the ischemia-reperfusion injury of heart. Rats or rabbits were pretreated with hyperbaric $oxygenation(2{\sim}3\;atm\;O_2/1{\sim}3\;hrs/1{\sim}10\;days)$. The changes in activities of major antioxidant enzymes(superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glucose-6-phasphate dehydrogenase), functional recovery and infarct size were observed in the experimentally induced ischemia-reperfused hearts. In the hearts isolated from rats pretreated with $2\;atm\;O_2/1{\sim}2\;hrs$ for 5 days, the functional recovery after reperfusion(20 min) following global ischemia(25 min) was significantly increased without any observable oxygen toxicity. Lactate dehydrogenase release was also significantly reduced in this hyperbaric oxygenated rat hearts. In in vivo regional ischemia(30 min) model of rabbit hearts, pretreatrment with $2\;atm\;O_2/1\;hr$ for 5 days significantly limited the infarct size. Among the myocardial antioxidant enzymes of rat hearts pretreated with the hyperbaric oxygenation, the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glucose-6-phosphatase dehydrogenase were increased, while those of glutathione peroxidase and reductase were not changed. There were lethal cases in the groups of rats exposed to 3 atm $3\;atm\;O_2/2{\sim}3\;hrs$ for 5 days. A lipid-peroxidation product, rnnlondialdehyde was increased in brains and livers of the rats exposed to$2\;atm\;O_2/2{\sim}3\;hrs/5\;days\;and\;3\;atm\;O_2/1\;hr/5days$. The present results suggest that the pretreatment of hyperbaric oxygenation can protect the post-ischemic rererfused hearts in association with a stimulation of the activities of myocardial antioxidant defensive enzymes, and that the hyperbaric oxygenation of $2\;atm\;O_2/1\;hr$for 5 days would be a safe condition which does not produce any oxygen toxicity.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.850-860
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• 1996

Oxygen free radicals and their metabolites have been implicated as possible causes of reperrusion injury In animal models. Their role in the clinical setting is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of tissue damage, oxidative stress. and changes in the antioxidant enzyme system in patients undergoing cor nary artery bypass graft operations(CABG) with myocardial protection by cold blood cardioplegia. In patients undergoing CABG(n:10). the levels of lactate dehydrogenate(LDH), creatine phosphokinase MB fraction(CK-MB), and malondialdehyde(M DA) were measured In the coronary sinus effluent before aortic cross clamping and 20 minutes after reperfusion. At the same time, the myocardial tissue activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD). catalase(CAT), glutathione peroxiddse(GSHPX), glutathione reductase (GSSGRd), and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenate(GfPDH ) were determined in the right atrial auricle excised before aortic cross clamping and in the left atrial auricle excised 20 minutes after reperfuslon. The levels of increased significantly after reperrusion(p< U.05). There were no significant changes in CAT and CfPDH levels. Western blot analysis was performed to study the induction of antioxidant enzyme and demonstrated increased amount of Cu,Zn-SOD.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.167-175
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• 2001

Recent studies have shown that cytokines are capable of modulating cardiovascular function and that some drugs used in the treatment of heart failure variably modulate the production of cytokines. Hige- namine, a positive inotropic isoquinoline alkaloid, has been used traditionally as cardiac stimulant, and reported to reduce nitric oxide (NO) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in LPS- and/or cytokine-activated cells in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we investigated whether higenamine modulates the production of proinflammatory cytokines in myocardial infarction. In addition, effects of higenamine on antioxidant action and antioxidant enzyme expression (MnSOD) were studied. Myocardial infarction (MI) was confirmed by measuring left ventricular (LV) pressure after occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) for 5 weeks in rats. Treatment of higenamine (10 mg/kg/day) reduced infarct size about 35 %, which accompanied by reduction of production TNF-$\alpha$, IL-6, but not IFN-${\gamma}$ and IL-1$\beta$ in the myocardium. The expression of TNF-$\alpha$ mRNA in infracted myocardium was significantly reduced by higenamine. Although iNOS mRNA was not detected, nitrotyrosine staining was significantly increased in myocardium of Ml compared to higenamine-treated one, Indicating that peroxynitrite-induced damage is evident in MI. Cytochrome c oxidation by peroxynitrite was concentration-dependently reduced by higenamine, an effect which was almost compatible to glutathion. Higenamine treatment did not affect the expression of MnSOD mRNA in myocardial tissues in MI. Taken together, higenamine may be beneficial in oxidative stress conditions such as ischemic-reperfusion injury and MI due to antioxidant action as well as modulation of cytokines.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2009

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury is a medical problem occurring as damage to the myocardium following blood flow restoration after a critical period of coronary occlusion. Oxygen free radicals (OFR) are implicated in reperfusion injury after myocardial ischemia. The antioxidant enzyme, Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD, also called SOD1) is one of the major means by which cells counteract the deleterious effects of OFR after ischemia. Recently, we reported that a PEP-1-SOD1 fusion protein was efficiently delivered into cultured cells and isolated rat hearts with ischemia-reperfusion injury. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of the PEP-1-SOD1 fusion protein after ischemic insult. Immunofluorescecnce analysis revealed that the expressed and purified PEP-1-SOD1 fusion protein injected into rat tail veins was efficiently transduced into the myocardium with its native protein structure intact. When injected into Sprague-Dawley rat tail veins, the PEP-1-SOD1 fusion protein significantly attenuated myocardial ischemia-reperfusion damage; characterized by improving cardiac function of the left ventricle, decreasing infarct size, reducing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), decreasing the release of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and relieving cardiomyocyte apoptosis. These results suggest that the biologically active intact forms of PEP-1-SOD1 fusion protein will provide an efficient strategy for therapeutic delivery in various diseases related to SOD1 or to OFR.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.542-549
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• 2017

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is initiated by various cellular insults and accumulated cardiomyocyte apoptosis leads to the pathogenesis of heart failure. Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) provoke apoptotic cascades. Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is an important antioxidant enzyme that converts cellular ROS into harmless products. In this study, we demonstrate that MnSOD is down-regulated upon hydrogen peroxide treatment or ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Enhanced expression of MnSOD attenuates cardiomyocyte apoptosis and myocardial infarction induced by I/R injury. Further, we show that miR-23a directly regulates the expression of MnSOD. miR-23a regulates cardiomyocyte apoptosis by suppressing the expression of MnSOD. Our study reveals a novel model regulating cardiomyocyte apoptosis which is composed of miR-23a and MnSOD. Our study provides a new method to tackling apoptosis related cardiac diseases.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.106-116
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• 2023

Background: Pirarubicin (THP) is an anthracycline antibiotic used to treat various malignancies in humans. The clinical usefulness of THP is unfortunately limited by its dose-related cardiotoxicity. Ginsenoside F1 (GF1) is a metabolite formed when the ginsenosides Re and Rg1 are hydrolyzed. However, the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of GF1 on THP-induced cardiotoxicity remain unclear. Methods: We investigated the anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidative stress effects of GF1 on an in vitro model, using H9c2 cells stimulated by THP, plus trigonelline or AKT inhibitor imidazoquinoxaline (IMQ), as well as an in vivo model using THP-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent test, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), creatine kinase (CK-MB), cardiac troponin (c-TnT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) were determined. Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and the expression of Nrf2 target genes, including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), glutathione-S-transferase (Gst), glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM), and expression levels of AKT/Bcl-2 signaling pathway proteins were detected using Western blot analysis. Results: THP-induced myocardial histopathological damage, electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities, and cardiac dysfunction were reduced in vivo by GF1. GF1 also decreased MDA, BNP, CK-MB, c-TnT, and LDH levels in the serum, while raising SOD and GSH levels. GF1 boosted Nrf2 nuclear translocation and Nrf2 target gene expression, including HO-1, Gst, and GCLM. Furthermore, GF1 regulated apoptosis by activating AKT/Bcl-2 signaling pathways. Employing Nrf2 inhibitor trigonelline and AKT inhibitor IMQ revealed that GF1 lacked antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects. Conclusion: In conclusion, GF1 was found to alleviate THP-induced cardiotoxicity via modulating Nrf2 and AKT/Bcl-2 signaling pathways, ultimately alleviating myocardial oxidative stress and apoptosis.