Cardioprotective effects of novel tetrahydroisoquinoline analogs of nitrobenzylmercaptopurine riboside in an isolated perfused rat heart model of acute myocardial infarction

1 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, and 2 Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee Submitted 10 November 2005 ; accepted in final form 2 February 2007 We have investigated the cardioprotective effects of novel tetrahydroisoquinoline nitrobenzylmercaptopurine riboside (NBMPR) analog nucleoside transport (NT) inhibitors, compounds 2 and 4, in isolated perfused rat hearts. Langendorff-perfused heart preparations were subjected to 10 min of treatment with compound 2, compound 4, or vehicle (control) followed by 30 min of global ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion. For determination of infarct size, reperfusion time was 180 min. At 1 µM, compounds 2 and 4 provided excellent cardioprotection, with left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) recovery and end-diastolic pressure (EDP) increase of 82.9 ± 4.0% ( P < 0.001) and 14.1 ± 2.0 mmHg ( P < 0.03) for compound 2-treated hearts and 79.2 ± 5.9% ( P < 0.002) and 7.5 ± 2.7 mmHg ( P < 0.01) for compound 4-treated hearts compared with 41.6 ± 5.2% and 42.5 ± 6.5 mmHg for control hearts. LVDP recovery and EDP increase were 64.1 ± 4.2% and 29.1 ± 2.5 mmHg for hearts treated with 1 µM NBMPR. Compound 4 was the best cardioprotective agent, affording significant cardioprotection, even at 0.1 µM, with LVDP recovery and EDP increase of 76.0 ± 4.9% ( P < 0.003) and 14.1 ± 1.0 mmHg ( P < 0.03). At 1 µM, compound 4 and NBMPR reduced infarct size, with infarct area-to-total risk area ratios of 29.13 ± 3.17 ( P < 0.001) for compound 4 and 37.5 ± 3.42 ( P < 0.01) for NBMPR vs. 51.08 ± 5.06% for control hearts. Infarct size was more effectively reduced by compound 4 than by NBMPR ( P < 0.02). These new tetrahydroisoquinoline NBMPR analogs are not only potent cardioprotective agents but are, also, more effective than NBMPR in this model. cardioprotection; nucleoside transport inhibitors; left ventricular developed pressure; end-diastolic pressure; ischemia; reperfusion; adenosine potentiation; infarct size reduction Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: J. K. Buolamwini, Dept. Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Univ. of Tennessee Health Science Center, 847 Monroe Ave., Suite 327, Memphis, TN 38163 (e-mail: jbuolamwini{at}utmem.edu )