Effect of hyperbaric oxygenation in total antioxidant system, nitric oxide and 3 nitrotyrosine levels in a rat model of acute myocardial infarct in the absence of reperfusion

Coronary heart disease is one of the main causes of death worldwide. Only 10-15% of patients in Mexico receive the standard treatment (reperfusion therapy) leaving the vast majority without an effective remedy. One possible coadjuvant treatment after acute myocardial infarction is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO), which has shown beneficial effects in patients having pathologies with an ischemic origin. The HBO therapy is known to favor vascular regeneration and oxygenation of ischemic tissues and to stimulate an increase in antioxidant enzymes in tissues and plasma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of enzymes of the antioxidant system and oxidative status in a rat model of Acute Myocardial Infarct (AMI) with HBO therapy. The anterior descending artery was surgically ligated to provoke AMI, Rats were grouped: without HBO and with HBO treatment (for 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 sessions with 100% oxygen at 2 atmospheres for 60 min). After sacrifice, the heart was extracted to evaluate the left and right side for Total Antioxidant Response (TAS) and levels of nitric oxide and 3’nitrotyrosine. Left heart samples were taken from the ischemic area. In the left heart, the HBO therapy group had a higher level of 3’nitrotyrosine (compared to basal values) in the ischemic area at the 20th session. This indicates a greater production of NO, favoring better recovery in the ischemic area, improvement in the penumbra area and greater vascularization.