Selective ablation of the ligament of Marshall reduces ischemia and reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias

Cardiac sympathetic tone overdrive is a key mechanism of arrhythmia. Cardiac sympathetic nerves denervation, such as LSG ablation or renal sympathetic denervation, suppressed both the prevalence of VAs and the incidence of SCD. Accumulating evidence demonstrates the ligament of Marshall (LOM) is a key component of the sympathetic conduit between the left stellate ganglion (LSG) and the ventricles. The present study aimed to investigate the roles of the distal segment of LOM (LOM(LSPV)) denervation in ischemia and reperfusion (IR)-induced VAs, and compared that LSG denervation. Thirty-three canines were randomly divided into group 1 (IR group, n = 11), group 2 (LOM(LSPV) Denervation + IR, n = 9), and group 3 (LSG Denervation + IR, n = 13). Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) and Immunohistochemistry staining revealed that LOM(LSPV) contained bundles of sympathetic but not parasympathetic nerves. IR increased the cardiac sympathetic tone [serum concentrations of noradrenaline (NE) and epinephrine (E)] and induced the prevalence of VAs [ventricular premature beat (VPB), salvo of VPB, ventricular tachycardia (VT), VT duration (VTD) and ventricular fibrillation (VF)]. Both LOM(LSPV) denervation and LSG denervation could reduce the cardiac sympathetic tone in Baseline (BS) [heart rate variability (HRV)]. Compared with group 1, LOM(LSPV) denervation and LSG denervation similarly reduced sympathetic tone [NE (1.39±0.068 ng/ml in group 2, 1.29±0.081 ng/ml in group 3 vs 2.32±0.17 ng/ml in group 1, P<0.05) and E (114.64±9.22 pg/ml in group 2, 112.60±9.69 pg/ml in group 3 vs 166.18±15.78 pg/ml in group 1, P<0.05),] and VAs [VT (0±3.00 in group 2, 0±1.75 in group 3 vs 8.00±11.00 in group 1, P<0.05) and VTD (0 ± 4 s in group 2, 0±0.88s in group 3 vs 10.0 ± 22.00s in group 1, P<0.05)] after 2h reperfusion. These findings indicated LOM(LSPV) denervation reduced the prevalence of VT by suppressing SNS activity. These effects are comparable to those of LSG denervation. In myocardial IR, the anti-arrhythmic effects of LOM(LSPV) Denervation may be related to the inhibition of the expression of NE and E.