Desvenlafaxine reduces apoptosis in amygdala after myocardial infarction

This study was designed to determine if desvenlafaxine (DV), a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, can attenuate apoptosis observed in the limbic system after myocardial infarction (MI). MI was induced in rats by occlusion of the left descending artery for 40 min followed by reperfusion. Another group of sham (control) rats was similarly manipulated, but without occlusion. Half of the full cohort received DV (3 mg/kg/day intraperitoneal), starting 5 min after the onset of reperfusion; the other half received the vehicle (0.5 ml of 0.9% saline). Rats were sacrificed after 3 days for biochemical analyses and MI size measurements. Infarct size was significantly smaller in DV- compared to vehicle-treated rats. At 3 days post-MI, caspase-3 and -8 activities and terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling-positive cells were decreased in the amygdala of DV-treated rats compared to MI-vehicle controls. No difference was observed between the sham groups. The data indicates that DV given immediately after an acute MI event can reduce MI size and apoptosis in amygdala when measured three days post-MI.