Sevoflurane postconditioning affects post-ischaemic myocardial mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel function and apoptosis in ageing rats

Summary This study investigated the effect of sevoflurane postconditioning on post‐ischaemic cardiac function, infarct size, myocardial mitochondrial ATP‐sensitive potassium channel (mitoKATP) function and apoptosis in ageing rats to determine the possible mechanism underlying the cardioprotective property of sevoflurane. Ageing rat hearts were isolated and attached to a Langendorff apparatus. The hearts were then exposed or not to sevoflurane postconditioning in the presence or absence of 100 μmol/L 5‐hydroxydecanoate (5‐HD), a selective mitoKATP inhibitor. The infarct size was measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Mitochondrial morphology was observed by electron microscopy and scored using FlaMeng semiquantitative analysis. In addition, the expression levels of Bax, Bcl‐2, and cytochrome‐C (Cyt‐C) were determined by Western blot analysis at the end of reperfusion. Sevoflurane postconditioning increased coronary flow, improved functional recovery, reduced Bax/Bcl‐2 and Cyt‐C phosphorylation levels, and decreased mitochondrial lesion severity and the extent of apoptosis. The protective effects of sevoflurane postconditioning were prevented by the mitoKATP inhibitor 5‐HD. Sevoflurane postconditioning significantly protected the function of ageing hearts that were subjected to ischaemia and reperfusion, and these protective effects were mediated by mitoKATP opening.