@article{Jin_Wu_Bi_Zhou_Cui_Zhou_Kang_Yi_Liu_2009, title={Myocardial Protective Effect of Urethane on Isolated Rat Hearts in Prolonged Hypothermic Preservation}, volume={12}, url={https://journal.hsforum.com/index.php/HSF/article/view/293}, DOI={10.1532/HSF98.20091024}, abstractNote={<p><b>Background:</b> One of the most important factors restricting heart transplantation is the limited myocardial ischemia time. This study investigated the effects of urethane on the hypothermic preservation of donor rat hearts.</p><p><b>Materials and Methods:</b> Hearts isolated from rats were divided into 2 groups (n = 8), a control group with histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution alone and an experimental group with HTK solution plus 30 mM urethane. Hearts were mounted on a Langendorff apparatus to estimate the baseline cardiac function; the hearts were then arrested and stored in one of the 2 solutions for 6 hours and 18 hours at 4°C. After preservation, the hearts were reperfused, and cardiac function was evaluated. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and myocardial ultrastructure were examined.</p><p><b>Results:</b> Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed a significantly higher recovery of cardiac function for both 6 hours and 18 hours of preservation and demonstrated a lower rate of cardiomyocyte apoptosis (8.5% ± 1.2% versus 12.2% ± 1.8% for 6 hours; 14.1% ± 2.1% versus 31.4% ± 2.7% for 18 hours). ATP content was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group after 18 hours of preservation (229.4 ± 29.7 ?g/g versus 153.2 ± 21.1 ?g/g). The experimental group also showed lower levels of LDH release after 18 hours of preservation. Electron microscopy studies demonstrated better cardiomyocyte structure in the experimental group for both 6 hours and 18 hours of preservation.</p><p><b>Conclusions:</b> Use of urethane improved cardiac functional recovery and led to significant protective effects on rat hearts placed in a hypothermic preservation solution for a prolonged period.</p>}, number={6}, journal={The Heart Surgery Forum}, author={Jin, Zhenxiao and Wu, Tiejun and Bi, Shenghui and Zhou, Heping and Cui, Qin and Zhou, Jingjun and Kang, Xiaojun and Yi, Dinghua and Liu, Weiyong}, year={2009}, month={Dec.}, pages={E316-E319} }