Overexpression of farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase increases myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice

Abstract Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS) is a vital enzyme in the mevalonate pathway. Our previous study has indicated that overexpression of FPPS increases hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR) injury in Heart-derived H9c2 Cells. Hence, we designed this experiment to further investigate the effect of FPPS on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MIR) injury using a transgenic (Tg) model, and explore the relevant mechanisms. The results showed that when mouse hearts were subjected to ex vivo I/R, Tg mice have a higher CK and LDH, a larger myocardial infarct size and lower heart function recovery. These phenomena are associated with the increased Rac1 activity and ROS generation. These findings point to that FPPS might be a potential target in preventing MIR in vivo.