Sublethal ischemia alters myocardial antioxidant activity in canine heart.

We examined antioxidant activity in the pre-conditioned canine myocardium with four 5-min episodes of regional ischemia and reperfusion. Immediately after repetitive brief ischemia, mitochondrial Mn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the ischemic myocardium significantly increased compared with that in the nonischemic myocardium (18.7 +/- 2.1 vs. 14.9 +/- 1.0 U/mg protein, P < 0.05). Although no difference was seen in the activity between these regions after 3 h of the sublethal ischemia, a significant increase in the activity of the ischemic myocardium reappeared after 24 h compared with that of the nonischemic myocardium (26.7 +/- 0.9 vs. 20.8 +/- 0.9 U/mg protein, P < 0.05). Mn-SOD content increased gradually in the ischemic myocardium after sublethal ischemia, with a peak after 24 h (2.8 +/- 0.1 vs. 2.1 +/- 0.1 microgram/mg protein, P < 0.05). There were no differences in the activity and content of Cu, Zn-SOD between these regions after sublethal ischemia. Activities of glutathione peroxidase and reductase were significantly higher and lower, respectively, in the ischemic myocardium than those of the nonischemic myocardium immediately after repetitive brief ischemia, but no differences between these regions were seen in activities after 3 or 24 h. These results indicate that a brief ischemic insult alters myocardial antioxidant activity not only immediately after but also 24 h after sublethal ischemia.