The effects of hydrogen sulfide under sevoflurane administration against ischemia and reperfusion injury in isolated rat heart

BACKGROUND: Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) produces a protective effect against myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. Sevoflurane, which is used for anesthesia in cardiac problem patients, also has a protective effect. This study is designed to reveal the effects of H(2)S under sevoflurane using rat hearts. METHODS: The hearts were Langendorff-perfused, subjected to 30 minutes ischemia and 60 minutes reperfusion. Group I was a control group. The other groups were pretreated for 15 minutes before ischemia as follows: 1.6% sevoflurane for group S; 18.5 µM H(2)S S for group H; and 1.6% sevoflurane and 18.5 µM H(2)S simultaneously for group HS. Hemodynamics and the infarct size were measured. RESULTS: Group HS presented depressed hemodynamics during pretreatment. LV function in group HS achieved better recovery than group I after reperfusion. The infarct size of groups S, H and HS was smaller than group I, while there were no differences between groups S, H and HS. CONCLUSIONS: Exogenous H(2)S did not enhance the preconditioning effects of sevoflurane. Rather, the results suggest that H(2)S under sevoflurane might depress hemodynamics.