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Updated: Jun 11, 2026
Pre-clinical Model of Cardiac Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: August 2, 2019
Postconditioning and remote postconditioning of ischemic rat cardiac grafts
Y Tang1, A Mennander, N Oksala
1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Nanchang University Hospital, Jiangxi, China.
Background:
Global warm ischemia of transplanted cardiac grafts is associated with apoptosis and subsequent tissue necrosis. It is suggested that postconditioning (PostC) may ameliorate the early outcome of cardiac grafts after ischemia-reperfusion. We investigated whether PostC and remote postconditioning (RPostC) have a histopathologic impact after transplantation of warm ischemic rat cardiac grafts.
Materials And Methods:
Thirteen rats were randomized to undergo either PostC or RPostC after heterotopic transplantation of ischemic cardiac grafts. Six rats without intervention besides transplantation served as controls (control). The recipient rats were sacrificed 24 h after transplantation to evaluate histopathology and apoptotic index.
Results:
No significant differences were observed between the study groups in terms of graft heat shock protein 70 and oxygen radical absorbing capacity, an indicator of antioxidant capacity. While apoptosis and PCARB, a marker of protein oxidation and oxidative stress, decreased after RPostC (p < 0.05), contraction band necrosis was less prominent in both PostC and RPostC.
Conclusion:
Both PostC and RPostC have a histopathologic impact after 24 h of reperfusion of warm ischemic rat cardiac grafts.
