Acta histochemica
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During ischemia, ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) open, and this triggers necrotic processes and apoptosis. In this study, we investigated whether selective sarcoplasmic and mitochondrial KATP channel blockers affected myocardial apoptosis and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in a rat model of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion in vitro. Isolated rat hearts were subjected to 30 min of coronary artery occlusion followed by 30 min of reperfusion. ⋯ In hearts treated with 5-hydroxydecanoate, myocyte apoptosis was slightly reduced, and this was associated with an almost equal increase in both iNOS and eNOS immunoreactivity. These findings suggest that iNOS appears to be more important than eNOS in the reduction of apoptosis. However, the further inhibition of apoptosis by the higher concentration of HMR 1098 was associated with poorer cardiac function.