Edaravone Improves Septic Cardiac Function by Inducing an HIF-1αHO-1 Pathway

Abstract EN

Septic myocardial dysfunction remains prevalent and raises mortality rate in patients with sepsis.

During sepsis, tissues undergo tremendous oxidative stress which contributes critically to organ dysfunction.

Edaravone, a potent radical scavenger, has been proved beneficial in ischemic injuries involving hypoxia-inducible factor- (HIF-) 1, a key regulator of a prominent antioxidative protein heme oxygenase- (HO-) 1.

However, its effect in septic myocardial dysfunction remains unclarified.

We hypothesized that edaravone may prevent septic myocardial dysfunction by inducing the HIF-1/HO-1 pathway.

Rats were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) with or without edaravone infusion at three doses (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg, resp.) before CLP and intraperitoneal injection of the HIF-1α antagonist, ME (15 mg/kg), after CLP.

After CLP, rats had cardiac dysfunction, which was associated with deformed myocardium, augmented lipid peroxidation, and increased myocardial apoptosis and inflammation, along with decreased activities of catalase, HIF-1α, and HO-1 in the myocardium.

Edaravone pretreatment dose-dependently reversed the changes, of which high dose most effectively improved cardiac function and survival rate of septic rats.

However, inhibition of HIF-1α by ME demolished the beneficial effects of edaravone at high dose, reducing the survival rate of the septic rats without treatments.

Taken together, edaravone, by inducing the HIF-1α/HO-1 pathway, suppressed oxidative stress and protected the heart against septic myocardial injury and dysfunction.