Myocardial Sulfhydryl Pool Alterations Occur During Reperfusion After Brief and Prolonged Myocardial Ischemia In Vivo

Myocardial sulfhydryl (SH)-containing compounds, including reduced glutathione (GSH), are both defenses against and potential markers of reactive oxygen metabolite injury during ischemia and reperfusion. We examined the alterations in GSH and other myocardial SH pools during reperfusion in anesthetized dogs exposed to brief (15 minutes, n=7) or prolonged (90 minutes, n=6) regional ischemia caused by occlusion of the left anterior descending artery. Ninety minutes of ischemia followed by 5 hours of reperfusion, which resulted in myocardial necrosis of 43.9±4.0% of the area at risk, caused a 22% reduction in total myocardial SH groups (p