• Gezina Tanya Mei Ling Oei, Hamid Aslami, Raphaela Priscilla Kerindongo, Renske Johanna Steenstra, Charlotte Jacqueline Peter Beurskens, Anita Maria Tuip-de Boer, Nicole Petra Juffermans, Markus Werner Hollmann, Benedikt Preckel, and Nina Claudia Weber.
• Laboratory of Experimental Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Department of Anesthesiology, Academic Medical Centre, Meibergdreef 9, 1100 DD Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• J Immunol Res. 2015 Jan 1; 2015: 216798.

AbstractPostconditioning of myocardial tissue employs short cycles of ischemia or pharmacologic agents during early reperfusion. Effects of helium postconditioning protocols on infarct size and the ischemia/reperfusion-induced immune response were investigated by measurement of protein and mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Rats were anesthetized with S-ketamine (150 mg/kg) and diazepam (1.5 mg/kg). Regional myocardial ischemia/reperfusion was induced; additional groups inhaled 15, 30, or 60 min of 70% helium during reperfusion. Fifteen minutes of helium reduced infarct size from 43% in control to 21%, whereas 30 and 60 minutes of helium inhalation led to an infarct size of 47% and 39%, respectively. Increased protein levels of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC-3) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) were found after 30 or 60 min of helium inhalation, in comparison to control. 30 min of helium increased mRNA levels of CINC-3, IL-1β, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in myocardial tissue not directly subjected to ischemia/reperfusion. These results suggest that the effectiveness of the helium postconditioning protocol is very sensitive to duration of noble gas application. Additionally, helium was associated with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines; however, it is not clear whether this is causative of nature or part of an epiphenomenon.

34 keywords...

hide…