Carbohydrate-derived nano-antioxidant for attenuating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury

Myocardial ischemia‒reperfusion injury (MIRI) is a critical factor that impacts the efficacy of reperfusion therapy in treating ischemic cardiomyopathy and the posttransplant outcomes of heart transplant patients. Excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a significant contributor to the pathological progress of MIRI. Reducing ROS production can effectively alleviate MIRI. Nanoantioxidants have shown good ROS scavenging effects in recent studies, demonstrating promising therapeutic outcomes in ROS-related diseases. However, the clinical application of these nanoantioxidants is often hindered by complex preparation processes and degradation challenges. In this study, we synthesized a nanoantioxidant named carbohydrate-derived nanoparticles (C-NPs) and verified its ability to scavenge ROS. Pretreatment of MIRI model rats with C-NPs significantly reduced ROS levels in damaged myocardial tissue, suggesting a potential therapeutic benefit in alleviating MIRI. Furthermore, C-NPs were used to treat donor hearts during heart transplantation to further investigate whether they could attenuate IRI in cardiac grafts. The results indicated that C-NPs alleviated graft inflammation to some extent and prolonged the survival of allografts, showing the potential to reduce acute rejection after heart transplantation.