Ischemic preconditioning in heart and brain – connections
April 1, 2010
| Abstract Title: | Ischemic preconditioning in heart and brain – connections |
| Authors: | Dana Simona Ioncu1, Sanda Maria Deme2 |
| Affiliation: | 1 “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania 2 “Vasile Goldis” Western University of Arad, Romania |
| Abstract text: | Ischemic preconditioning acts as a protective factor for a certain organ that is exposed to short periods of ischemia that later undergoes other ischemic events, thus limiting the lesions. The ischemic preconditioning has two distinct temporal aspects: a protein synthesis-independent phase (2-3 hours), for acute preconditioning, and a protein synthesis-dependent phase, known as delayed preconditioning (4-72 hours in heart, several days – weeks in brain). These aspects are found in organs such as heart (the first proof of ischemic preconditioning), liver, skeletal muscle, kidney, lung, small intestine and brain. No certain evidence shows that an acute or delayed preconditioning in one of these organs may induce similar responses to secondary ischemic events in other territories that have this capacity. An interrelation among the heart muscle and neurons might be established. Short non-extensive damaging ischemic events in the brain offer a better protection at a secondary long term ischemia, almost similar to the myocardial preconditioning. The relationship between the myocardial and the brain’s preconditioning may rely on a common link among these two territories that have a functional similarity – the role of the vascular endothelium and the nitric oxide (NO), the iNOS and the protein kinase C activation, and the Erk (extracellular signal-regulated kinase). In the brain, the glutamate receptor activation leads to a higher production and release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which can signal through activation of the Erk pathway. Studies have showed that nNOS is involved in mediating the neuroprotection induced by cortical spreading depression establishing a link between neuroprotection and ischemic preconditioning. |
| Keywords: | ischemic preconditioning, heart-brain, NOS |
| Presentation type: | Oral |
| Correspondence: | no. 1-3 Spitalului St., Arad, Romania |
| Email: | danaioncu@yahoo.com |
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