Effects of Bepridil on Regional and Global Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Injury

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The effectiveness of the Ca entry blocker bepridil in protecting the myocardium from ischemic injury was assessed in a canine model of regional ischemia and in a feline model of global ischemia. Bepridil administration (5 mg/kg or 15 mg/kg per 24 h i.v.) did not reduce ultimate infarct size as assessed in anesthetized, open-chest dogs subjected to 90 min of occlusion of the left circumflex coronary artery and 24 h of reperfusion. Bepridil (5 mg/kg administered i.v. to a blood donor cat) did not provide any protection of the isolated blood-perfused cat heart from 90 min of normothermic global ischemia and 60 min of reperfusion. Treatment of the perfused cat heart with bepridil did not prevent tissue accumulation of Ca or loss of tissue K and ATP. Bepridil significantly reduced reperfusion tachyarrhythmias in the dog model for assessing ultimate infarct size and prevented reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation of the cat isolated heart. The Ca entry blocker, bepridil, as assessed in the models employed evidently does not protect the myocardium from ischemic reperfusion injury. It does prevent reperfusion-induced tachyarrhythmias and ventricular fibrillation.