ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of remifentanil postconditioning on myocardial hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury in adults, and to further explore the role of aquaporin-4 (AQP-4) in mediating this effect. METHODS: Trabecular muscles from the right atrial appendage of adults were treated with hypoxia for 90 min, followed by reoxygenation for 120 min. Then, remifentanil 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 nmol·L-1was infused 10 min before the end of hypoxia until 10 min after the start of reoxygenation. The contractile tension of the trabecular muscles was monitored during the experiment. Western blotting was performed to evaluate AQP-4 expression at the end of the experiment. RESULTS: Compared with normal control group, muscle tension decreased significantly after 30 min of induction in H/R group (P<0.05), and it was reduced to the minimum at 90 min. The muscle tension at 150 min and 180 min in remifentanil 0.1 nmol·L-1group was higher than that in H/R group (P<0.05). The muscle tension in remifentanil 1.0 nmol·L-1group was higher than that in H/R group during reoxygenation (P<0.05). Compared with normal control group, the expression of AQP-4 protein in H/R group was significantly higher (P< 0.05), whereas the expression of AQP-4 in remifentanil 0.1 and 1.0 nmol·L-1groups was down-regulated compared with H/R group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Remifentanil can alleviate myocardial H/R injury in adults, and its effect may be related to the decreased expression of AQP-4.