The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 74, 37-43, Copyright © 1977 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Tissue uptake of 3H-methylprednisolone in acute myocardial ischemia
AM Lefer, M Okuda and ML Ogletree
The tissue uptake of 3H-methylprednisolone (3H-MP) was studied in
anesthetized cats during acute myocardial ischemia 1 and 2 hours after
injection of 3H-MP. There was a rapid uptake of 3H-MP by many tissues.
Liver, kidney, and pancreas exhibited tissue/perfusion ratios of 3 to 7,
heart, lungs, and intestine about 2, spleen, adrenal, and aorta 1 to 2, and
skeletal muscle and omentum less than 1. Very similar tissue uptakes
occurred in cats subjected to myocardial ischemia and sham myocardial
ischemia at 1 and 2 hours. Plasma clearances of 3H-MP was not significantly
altered either 1 or 2 hours after the onset of myocardial ischemia.
Although ischemic myocardial tissue took up less than nonischemic
myocardial tissue, this region accumulated significant amounts of 3H-MP.
Myocardial tissue metabolized only about 15 to 20 per cent of the 3H-MP
taken up after 2 hours. These data indicate that in acute myocardial
ischemia, myocardial tissue takes up large amounts of exogenously
administered glucocorticoid, most of which remains in the native form
during the early phase of acute myocardial infarction.