Protective effects of Lª²carnitine against simulated ischemia and reperfusion injury in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

    YANG Yong1, JIA Guoª²Liang, GUO Wenª²Yi, ZHANG Rongª²Qing, CAO Yunª²Xin, WANG Qiong, YANG Shengª²Li

    1Department of Cardiovasology, Xijing Hospital, 2Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi¬ðan 710033, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿ AIM: To study the effects of Lª²carnitine against simulated ischemia/reperfusion injury in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and its possible mechanism. METHODS: A cell culture model of neonatal rat(born within 3 d)cardiacmyocytes was used.The cultured cardiomyocytes were classied into 3 groups£¬control group, I/R group(anoxia for 120 min, reoxygenation for 240 min)and Lª²carnitine group (Lª²carnitine, which was classed into four different concentration, was added to the cell 2 h before anoxia.). The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the apoptosis was determined by flow of cytometry (FCM). RESULTS: I/R group showed more decrease of SOD and SDH activities and increase of MDA compared with the control group (P<0.05), as the same time, the apoptosis rate was increased more sharply (P<0.05). In Lª²carnitine group, the activities of SOD and SDH were significantly increased but MDA and the apoptosis rate were decreased little by little with the incrase of the concentration of Lª²carnitine. And as compared with I/R group, there was a statistical significance (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Lª²carnitine can protect cardiomyocyte from ischemia/reperfusion injury and the protective effect is in a doseª²related manner within certain concentration. ......