Beneficial effects of carbon monoxide-releasing molecules on post-ischemic myocardial recovery

There is increasing evidence corroborating a protective role of carbon monoxide releasing molecules (CORMs) in injured tissues. Carbon monoxide (CO) carriers have been recently developed as a pharmacological tool to simulate the effect of heme oxygenase-1-derived CO. The effects of CORM-3, a water-soluble CO releaser, on the incidence of reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation (VF) and tachycardia (VT) were studied in isolated rat hearts. Hearts were treated with different doses of CORM-3 before the induction of 30 min global ischemia followed by 120 min reperfusion. We found that at concentrations of 25 μM and 50 μM of CORM-3 promoted a significant reduction in the incidence of VF and VT. Thus, the incidence of VF was reduced by 67% (p < 0.05) and 92% (p < 0.05) with 25 μM and 50 μM of CORM-3, respectively. The protective effect of CORM-3 on the incidence of VT followed the same pattern. The antiarrhythmic protection was associated with a marked attenuation in infarct size, significant decreases in cellular Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ gains and K⁺ loss. Consequently, the recovery of post-ischemic function was significantly improved. In conclusion, CORM-3 exerts beneficial effects against ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury through its abilities to release CO which mediates a cardioprotective action by regulating tissue Na⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺ levels.