BENEFICIAL-EFFECTS OF YOHIMBINE ON POSTHYPOXIC RECOVERY OF CARDIAC-FUNCTION AND MYOCARDIAL-METABOLISM IN ISOLATED PERFUSED RABBIT HEARTS

The present study was undertaken to elucidate the possible actions of yohimbine on cardiac function and metabolism in the hypoxic and subsequently reoxygenated myocardium. For this purpose, rabbit hearts were perfused for 20 min under hypoxic conditions, followed by 45 min reoxygenated perfusion, and their functional and metabolic alterations with and without yohimbine treatment were examined. Hypoxia induced cessation of cardiac contractile force, rise in resting tension and depletion of tissue high-energy phosphates, which were poorly recovered by subsequent reoxygenation. Hypoxia also induced release of creatine kinase and ATP metabolites from perfused hearts and increases in tissue calcium and sodium contents, which were further enhanced upon subsequent reoxygenation. When hypoxic hearts were treated with 3 to 30-mu-M yohimbine, several beneficial effects were observed in a concentration-dependent manner. This included enhancement of posthypoxic recovery of contractile function and suppression of the hypoxia- and reoxygenation-induced rise in resting tension. Hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced release of ATP metabolites was inhibited and restoration of myocardial high-energy phosphates enhanced. Inhibition of reoxygenation-induced rise in tissue calcium and sodium and creatine kinase release were also noted. The findings suggest that suppression of transmembrane flux of ions, substrates and enzymes during hypoxia/reoxygenation plays a role in the posthypoxic functional and metabolic recovery. Yohimbine (3-30-mu-M) significantly depressed the maximal stimulus frequency the left atria could follow. These results suggest a close relationship between depression in the maximal driving frequency of atria and enhancement of the posthypoxic contractile and metabolic recovery of perfused hearts. The concentration of yohimbine which exhibits alpha-2 adrenoceptor blocking action has been reported to be lower than that required in this study. Thus, the present study suggests contribution of nonreceptor-mediated action of yohimbine to the improvement of cardiac function and metabolism of hypoxic and reoxygenated hearts.