ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the efficacy of cold preservation solution containing desferrioxamine (DFO) in protecting the rat hearts.Methods Pathogen-free male Sprague-Dawley rats,weighing 300-350 g,were used in the study.Thirty-two isolated rat hearts were equally and randomly divided into control group (C group) and DFO group using a random number table.Hearts of rats were stored for 6 h in 4 ℃ histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution in group C.DFO was added to HTK solution (DFO concentration 100 μmol/L),and hearts of rats were stored for 6 h in 4 ℃ HTK solution in group DFO.At 6 h of cold storage,creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities in the cold preservation solution were determined.Myocardial specimens were obtained from the apex,cut into sections which were stained with haematoxylin and eosin,and examined under a microscope.The pathological changes of myocardial tissues were scored.The content of malondialdehydc in myocardial tissues was determined using thiobarbitnric acid method,and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α protein and mRNA expression in myocardial tissues was detected by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blot.Results Compared with group C,the creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities in the cold preservation solution,malondialdehyde content in myocardial tissues,and pathological scores were significantly decreased,and the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α protein and mRNA expression in myocardial tissues was significantly up-regulated in group DFO (P＜ 0.05).Conclusion Cold preservation solution containing DFO can protect the rat hearts effectively,and the mechanism is related to up-regulation of the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α.