Abstract

Cyclosporine protects the heart against ischemia/reperfusion injury, but its effect on cardiac metabolism is largely unknown. We assessed cyclosporine-induced metabolic changes in the rat heart prior to occlusion using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and correlated effects with infarct size in a coronary occlusion/reperfusion model. The two study groups were cyclosporine and cyclosporine + coronary occlusion (n = 20/group). Rats were pretreated with cyclosporine (5, 10, 15, and 25 mg/kg/day) or the vehicle by oral gavage for 3 days (n = 4/dose). On day 4, hearts of rats in the cyclosporine group were excised, and extracted cell metabolites were measured using ¹H and ³¹P MRS. The second group was subjected to 30 min of coronary artery occlusion followed by 24 h of reperfusion. Infarct size and area at risk were measured using a double staining method. In the cyclosporine group, cyclosporine reduced cardiac energy metabolism (ATP:r = −0.89, P < 0.001) via depression of oxidative phosphorylation and the Krebs' cycle in a dose-dependent manner. The decrease of ATP levels was positively correlated with changes of NAD⁺ (r = 0.89), glutamate (r = 0.95), glutamine (r = 0.84), and glucose concentrations (r = 0.92, all P < 0.002). It was inversely correlated with lactate (r = −0.93,P < 0.001). In the coronary occlusion group, cyclosporine dose dependently reduced the ratio [area of infarct/area of the left ventricle] (r = −0.86,P < 0.01), with 15 mg/kg/day being the most effective cyclosporine dose. The reduction in infarct size correlated with the reduction in oxidative phosphorylation (ATP:r = 0.97; NAD⁺: r = 0.82, P < 0.01). The reduction in cardiac energy metabolism before occlusion may be the cause of myocardial preservation during ischemia/reperfusion.