Oxidative stress and ischaemia-reperfusion injury in the heart

The participation of reactive oxygen species in different cardiovascular pathologic conditions is widely recognised. One of these situations is the Ischaemia-reperfusion phenomenon where the role of oxygen free radicals (OFR) has been of particular interest. Ischaemia-reperfusion is a common phenomenon in the clinical setting and is observed in thrombolytic therapy, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and open-heart surgery. Several experimental and clinical studies strongly suggest that antioxidants may ameliorate reperfusion injury during open-heart surgery. In this regard, the following substances have been used: mannitol, deferoxamine, vitamin E, allopurinol and coenzyme Q₁₀. In PTCA procedures, the presence of an oxidative stress after reperfusion was also shown by several authors, but up to now, only probucol demonstrated efficacy in reducing restenosis after these techniques.