Therapeutic Effect of Fimasartan in a Rat Model of Myocardial Infarction Evaluated by Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography with [ 18 F]FPTP

We evaluated the efficacy of fimasartan on perfusion defects and infarction size in an animal model of myocardial infarction (MI), with echocardiography and positron emission tomography (PET) using a F-labeled phosphonium cation (5-[ F]-fluoropentyl-triphenylphosphonium salt, [ F]FPTP) as a mitochondrial voltage sensor for myocardial imaging. We induced MI in 33 rats by ligation of the left coronary artery, and checked their cardiac PET image using [ F]FPTP for evaluation of myocardial perfusion. Rats were grouped into 3 groups according to their administered drugs: no drug (n=11), fimasartan 3 mg/kg (n=10), and fimasartan 10 mg/kg (n=12). Each designated drug was administered for 4 weeks, and follow-up PET and histologic examinations were done. In the PET analysis, a perfusion defect size was markedly improved in fimasartan 10 mg/kg group (35.9±7.0% to 28.4±6.9%, p