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ischaemic preconditioning of the human heart. - Leicester Research ...

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<strong>preconditioning</strong> may be identical in all species. Certainly, <strong>the</strong> stimulation <strong>of</strong> membrane receptors<br />

such as A, /A. 3 and (xl-adrenoreceptors and <strong>the</strong> activation <strong>of</strong> protein kinase C and K vri, channels<br />

have been shown to be involved in <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> animal species studied [ 15,187,273,275 land<br />

in man [52,601 My finding that <strong>preconditioning</strong> is a graded phenomenon is also compatible with<br />

<strong>the</strong> notion that a number <strong>of</strong> triggers could be activated to achieve protection<br />

The realization that <strong>preconditioning</strong> is a phenomenon probably shared by all mammalian species<br />

studied including man and <strong>the</strong> evidence that it maybe elicited through identical molecular<br />

pathways, it makes possible that <strong>the</strong> results obtained from laboratory based studies may be<br />

extrapolated to <strong>the</strong> clinical setting with a high degree <strong>of</strong> confidence.<br />

Second Window <strong>of</strong> Protection<br />

My studies are again <strong>the</strong> first to demonstrate <strong>the</strong> existence <strong>of</strong> a second window <strong>of</strong> protection in<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>human</strong> myocardium. However, I have shown that <strong>the</strong> second window is not as protective as<br />

<strong>the</strong> first window, a result that is consistent with o<strong>the</strong>r reports in anaes<strong>the</strong>tized rabbits and dogs<br />

[177,201,3351. The issue is not without controversy and some investigators [249,298] have<br />

reported that in anaes<strong>the</strong>tized rabbits <strong>preconditioning</strong> does not result in infarct size reduction if<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>ischaemic</strong> insult is applied in <strong>the</strong> following 24 or 48 hr. The reasons for <strong>the</strong>se discrepancies<br />

are not entirely clear, but differences in <strong>the</strong> experimental preparations and protocols should be<br />

taken into account. Preliminary studies conducted in <strong>the</strong> laboratory showed that <strong>the</strong> extent <strong>of</strong><br />

protection obtained in <strong>the</strong> second window <strong>of</strong> <strong>preconditioning</strong> was similar with one cycle and with<br />

repeated cycles <strong>of</strong> ischaernia as long as <strong>the</strong> total <strong>ischaemic</strong> stimulus was between 4 and 5 min<br />

(data not shown).<br />

The contrast between <strong>the</strong> universal presence <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> first window <strong>of</strong> protection and <strong>the</strong><br />

controversial second window may suggest that <strong>the</strong> mechanism underlying <strong>the</strong> two %"ndows are<br />

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