Possible role of hydrogen sulfide on the preservation of donor rat hearts

Objective. The aim of this study was to observe the preservative effect of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on donor rat hearts. Materials and Methods. The hearts of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were perfused on a Langendorff perfusion column for 30 minutes. We calculated and recorded the left ventricular-developed pressure (LVDP), and positive and negative derivatives of left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP; +dP/dt and -dP/dt). Hearts were then arrested and stored for 6 hours at 4 degrees C: group 1, Krebs-Henseleit (KH) solution; group 2, KH solution with 1 mu mol/L NaHS; group 3, KH solution with 1 mu mol/L NaHS and 10 mu mol/L glibenclamide; group 4, St. Thomas 11 solution. Hearts were transferred back to the Langendorff column. After stabilizing for 30 minutes, LV performance was assessed as before. The donor hearts were kept for pathological study including myocardial water ratio, ATP content, and myocyte apoptosis index. Results. The recovery rates of +dp/dtmax, -dp/dtmax, and LVDP of groups 2 and 4 were much better than those of groups 1 and 3. The hearts contracted immediately after reperfusion in group 4. Ventricular fibrillation was seen before contraction in the other 3 groups, with the longest duration in group. No significant difference in myocardial water ratio was found. The ATP content was the highest in group 2. Apoptosis was observed in the 4 groups with the lowest apoptosis index in group 2. Conclusions. H2S has a protective effect on rat donor hearts at the concentration of 1 mu mol/L. The protective effect is better than that of St. Thomas 11 solution. The protective effect of H2S can be blocked by glibenclamide.