Nicorandil decreases postischemic actin oxidation.

Abstract This study examined the hypothesis that preconditioning can decrease postischemic oxidative protein damage. Isolated rat hearts were subjected to 25 min of normothermic global ischemia followed by 45 min of reperfusion. These were compared with hearts pretreated with 20 μM nicorandil or preconditioned with two cycles of ischemia. Changes in the high energy phosphates, ATP and phosphocreatine, were followed using 31 P-NMR spectroscopy. Protein carbonyls were assessed using an immunoblot technique. Postischemic hemodynamic function and high energy phosphates recovered to significantly ( p p