The role of nitric oxide, superoxide and peroxynitrite in the anti‐arrhythmic effects of preconditioning and peroxynitrite infusion in anaesthetized dogs

Background and purpose: Both ischaemia preconditioning (PC) and the intracoronary infusion of peroxynitrite (PN) suppress ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R)‐induced arrhythmias and the generation of nitrotyrosine (NT, a marker of PN). However, it is still unclear whether this latter effect is due to a reduction in nitric oxide (NO) or superoxide (O2‐) production. Experimental approach: Dogs anaesthetized with chloralose and urethane were infused, twice for 5 min, with either saline (control) or 100 nM PN, or subjected to similar periods of occlusion (PC), 5 min prior to a 25 min occlusion and reperfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Severities of ischaemia and ventricular arrhythmias, as well as changes in the coronary sinus nitrate/nitrite (NOx) levels were assessed throughout the experiment. The production of myocardial NOx, O2‐ and NT was determined following reperfusion. Key results: Both PC and PN markedly suppressed the I/R‐induced ventricular arrhythmias, compared to the controls, and increased NOx levels during coronary artery occlusion. Reperfusion induced almost the same increases in NOx levels in all groups, but superoxide production and, consequently, the generation of NT were significantly less in PC‐ and PN‐treated dogs than in controls. Conclusions and implications: Since both PC and the administration of PN enhanced NOx levels during I/R, the attenuation of endogenous PN formation in these dogs is primarily due to a reduction in the amount of O2 produced. Thus, the anti‐arrhythmic effect of PC and PN can almost certainly be attributed to the preservation of NO availability during myocardial ischaemia.