Roles of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) in epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET)-induced cardioprotection against infarction in intact rat hearts

We previously demonstrated that 11,12 and 14,15-epoxeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) produce cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury in dogs and rats. Several signaling mechanisms have been implicated in the cardioprotective actions of the EETs; however, their mechanisms remain largely elusive. Since nitric oxide (NO) plays a significant role in cardioprotection and EETs have been demonstrated to induce NO production in various tissues, we hypothesized that NO is involved in mediating the EET actions in cardioprotection. To test this hypothesis, we used an in vivo rat model of infarction in which intact rat hearts were subjected to 30-min occlusion of the left coronary artery and 2-hr reperfusion. 11,12-EET or 14,15-EET (2.5mg/kg) administered 10min prior to the occlusion reduced infarct size, expressed as a percentage of the AAR (IS/AAR), from 63.9±0.8% (control) to 45.3±1.2% and 45.5±1.7%, respectively. A nonselective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, L-NAME (1.0mg/kg) or a selective endothelial NOS inhibitor, L-NIO (0.30mg/kg) alone did not affect IS/AAR but they completely abolished the cardioprotective effects of the EETs. On the other hand, a selective neuronal NOS inhibitor, nNOS I (0.03mg/kg) and a selective inducible NOS inhibitor, 1400W (0.10mg/kg) did not affect IS/AAR or block the cardioprotective effects of the EETs. Administration of 11,12-EET (2.5mg/kg) to the rats also transiently increased the plasma NO concentration. 14,15-EET (10μM) induced the phosphorylation of eNOS (Ser(1177)) as well as a transient increase of NO production in rat cardiomyoblast cell line (H9c2 cells). When 11,12-EET or 14,15-EET was administered at 5min prior to reperfusion, infarct size was also reduced to 42.8±2.2% and 42.6±1.9%, respectively. Interestingly, L-NAME (1.0mg/kg) and a mitochondrial KATP channel blocker, 5-HD (10mg/kg) did not abolish while a sarcolemmal KATP channel blocker, HMR 1098 (6.0mg/kg) and a mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opener, atractyloside (5.0mg/kg) completely abolished the cardioprotection produced by the EETs. 14,15-EET (1.5mg/kg) with an inhibitor of MPTP opening, cyclosporin A (CsA, 1.0mg/kg) produced a greater reduction of infarct size than their individual administration. Conversely, an EET antagonist 14,15-epoxyeicosa-5(Z)-enoic acid (14,15-EEZE, 2.5mg/kg) completely abolished the cardioprotective effects of CsA, suggesting a role of MPTP in mediating the EET actions. Taken together, these results suggest that the cardioprotective effects of the EETs in an acute ischemia-reperfusion model are mediated by distinct mediators depending on the time of EET administration. The cardioprotective effects of EETs administered prior to ischemia were regulated by the activation of eNOS and increased NO production, while sarcKATP channels and MPTP were involved in the beneficial effects of the EETs when administered just prior to reperfusion.