Effect of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in a porcine model of stunned myocardium

Oxygen free radicals have been suggested to cause the myocardial damage resulting in the prolonged contractile depression following brief periods of regional ischemia. In pigs, we infused the natural antioxidant alpha-tocopherol as its water-soluble acetate [0.3 g/kg intravenously (i.v.), n = 6] three times during 1 week, prior to thoracotomy, 8-min distal left anterior coronary artery (LAD) occlusion and 90-min reperfusion. Plasma levels of alpha-tocopherol [high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)] on the experimental day were 148.91 +/- 21.47 micrograms/ml as compared to preinfusion control of 0.51 +/- 0.14 micrograms/ml. Myocardial levels of alpha-tocopherol were elevated to 93.15 +/- 14.78 micrograms/g as compared to 4.08 +/- 0.60 microgram/g in the control group (n = 6). Malondialdehyde levels in ischemic-reperfused myocardium of the treatment group were insignificantly lower (441.96 +/- 59.55 nmol/g) as compared to the control group (500.9 +/- 72.72 nmol/g). Heart rate was significantly higher in the treatment group by the end of the experiments (135 +/- 10 vs. 105 +/- 4 beats/min, p less than 0.01). Regional segment shortening (SS, sonomicrometry) became normal within 1 min of reperfusion in both the treatment and the control group. During the following 10 min, SS decreased to 52 +/- 6% of preischemic control in the alpha-tocopherol group and to 54 +/- 7% in the control group (NS). SS remained at these depressed values throughout the reperfusion period. Pretreatment with the antioxidant alpha-tocopherol resulted in a tendency to lower lipid peroxidation products but did not prevent development of contractile depression in reversibly ischemic reperfused myocardium.